


To all the Girls I've Loved Before

by MidnightOnTheSouthside



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-07-26 00:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16208501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightOnTheSouthside/pseuds/MidnightOnTheSouthside
Summary: Cheryl's constant sexual repression has led her to write letters to the girls she has become infatuated with as a release. When someone sends those letters, she will be forced to confront those feelings and come to terms with her attraction to girls. Basically a Choni AU of 'All the Boys I've Loved Before'. This is my first fic, I hope you like it!





	1. Prologue

Cheryl Blossom didn’t do feelings. She didn’t know how to handle them. Her parents, her mother in particular, had been clear about the inherent weakness of human emotion. From a young age, Cheryl had been taught to shut down her feelings and shut up. Particularly if those feelings were of the  _ deviant _ nature as her mother so kindly put it.

 

After her parents found out about Heather…. Well, it became clear that expressing any feelings was dangerous in addition to being weak. Her mother simply would not stand for Cheryl to have any feelings towards other girls. It wasn’t proper for a Blossom. But that didn’t stop Cheryl from having those feelings. She just needed an outlet. So she wrote letters. 

 

Five letters. To five girls. Each of the girls Cheryl had loved. Heather, her best friend and first love. Holly, a girl from camp. Josie, her friend with the beautiful voice and even more beautiful appearance. Veronica, the beautiful new girl from New York. Toni, the Southside Serpent who had stood off with her when the snakes came to Riverdale.

 

She kept her letters safely tucked away in the back of her closet. They were one of the few things she had saved before burning down the mansion at Thornhill. There they sat. Neatly enveloped and addressed. Never to be sent. Just there to remind her that her feelings were real. That she wasn’t loveless. Cheryl knew the contents of each one.

 

_ Dearest Heather, _

_ You were my best friend for so many years. For that, I will always love you. More than that, I love you who you are to me. You were my first kiss, the first girl I ever truly fell for. I remember everything about you. I miss everything about you. I wish to God that my horrid mother had never found us. I want to you know that I love you, there’s not a day that I don’t regret what happened.  _

_ Love, Cheryl _

 

It had been written two months after Heather had mysteriously disappeared. Cheryl had cried nearly every night and had eventually written it all out onto paper in her signature red ink. The letter was placed into an envelope and sealed away. And with it, Cheryl’s feelings had been sealed off as well. 

 

The next letter had been written for Holly a girl from camp. Cheryl now doubted the attraction had been altogether genuine but as a 14 year old girl trying desperately to defy her mother, the night they shared by the lakeside had meant a lot at the time.

 

Enclosed in the following envelope were three drawings of Josie. Cheryl couldn’t stand not being able to capture such beauty on her pad of paper. Perhaps her infatuation had become problematic when she had left a pig’s heart for her friend to find. But ultimately, her feelings had been shut off when she had placed her remaining drawings into an envelope neatly addressed to the McCoy residence.

 

Veronica Lodge had, of course, merited a letter. The beautiful New York girl who had moved to Riverdale. It was impossible not to be entranced.

 

_ Dear Veronica, _

_ You captured my attention from the second you set your high heels in Riverdale High. Perhaps it’s because I saw so much of myself in you, but I have loved you at first sight. I know I have been less than kind to you at times, I simply could not accept my own feelings until it was too late. Our constant conflict has been a source of entertainment but also a source of joy. I cannot express to you the value of out confrontation. I know that, despite our similar upbringing and status, you will never truly reciprocate my feelings. Nonetheless, I love you, Veronica. And I wish you loved me too. Quite frankly, you picked the wrong ginger. _

_ Love, Cheryl _

 

Lastly, and most regrettably in Cheryl’s opinion, was Toni Topaz. When Southside High had been shut down, a handful of the Serpents had been sent to Riverdale High. From the moment Cheryl had laid eyes on the girl back at the drag race, she had known there was no turning back. She hadn’t been able to clear the image of the pink haired serpent from her mind. And when the girl had finally joined Riverdale High, and the River Vixens, Cheryl simply could not contain herself any further.

 

_ Dear Toni, _

_ I hate you. But I love you. You’re a Serpent and I’m a Blossom, and that should make you untouchable. But it doesn’t. Everytime I see you I simply cannot stop wondering what it would be like if you were mine. Mine to have, to hold, to kiss, to touch, and more importantly, to love. I wish you were easier to hate. Yet you constantly counter my verbal warfare and my general malicious front with your own sarcasm and wit. There is nothing about you that I can bring myself to dislike aside from the symbol on your back. In another life, I would make you mine and cherish you beyond the ability of any other on this Earth. Or maybe this life. If not for your family and mine. _

_ Love, Cheryl _

 

These letters were currently stored in her closet, largely ignored. But since her recent emancipation, Cheryl was beginning to ponder the validity of her own feelings and was returning more and more frequently to the letters themselves. She was not entirely sure about her own sexuality, that is she knew she liked girls and perhaps boys too, but she was even less sure about the sexuality of the subjects of her affection. However, she did know that Veronica had recently broken up with Archie. And while Josie was happily dating Reggie, Toni was still just as single as she had been the day she arrived at Riverdale High. Cheryl’s focus had centered more and more on her letters, constantly vacillating be the Lodge heiress and the confident serpent.

  
But every time she did so, she could hear her mother’s words.  _ Loveless. Deviant. Wrong. _ Cheryl could not bring herself to make any move. So she continued to ignore the letters sitting in the back of her closet, never sending them. And never considering what would happen if they were to be sent.


	2. You're a Stone Cold Bitch, Betty Cooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl shares the letters existence with her cousin. Also she fawns over Veronica, but tbh who wouldn't.

The thing about the letters is that they were never meant to be sent. Cheryl knew they were there and that was enough. Maybe now that she had banished her mother from Thistlehouse, she would do something about it. No one even knew they existed. Well, until she finally told Betty Cooper.

 

Polly had finally taken time to come visit from the farm to celebrate the twins’ half birthday. Cheryl, being the proud aunt that she was had insisted upon using Thistlehouse as the venue for the small party. Granted, it was just her, Nana Rose, and the Cooper family in attendance, but that’s all the two babies really needed. It gave Cheryl a little pang of mixed grief and happiness every time she looked at the twins, especially Dagwood. He really did look like JJ. 

The twins had been put down for a nap when Betty had struck up a conversation with Cheryl. Polly and Alice had left the two to go talk in another room and Nana Rose was back in her own chambers.

“So…” Betty began hesitantly, unsure how best to address her cousin. “This place is yours now?”

 

“Not quite, my dear cousin. By all legal rights, Thistlehouse belongs to Nana Rose. However, as her one true heir at the present time, I do retain large amounts of control over who is and is not permitted to set foot on the premises.” Cheryl responded with pride.

 

“I take it your mother isn’t permitted.”

 

“You would be correct in that assumption.” Cheryl’s voice had hardened slightly, as it often did when Penelope Blossom was mentioned.

 

Betty, sensing the shift in her cousin’s tone, tried frantically to think of something else to say, coming up empty.

 

“I heard Veronica finally called it quits with that knock off Troy Bolton,” Cheryl ventured, looking to fill the uncomfortable silence. “I guess that means you can start pining after the boy next door again.”

 

Betty quickly latched on to the change in subject. At least this was gossip she could contribute too. “Um, yeah they did split up. It was pretty amicable. But I’m really not into Archie anymore. I’m just trying to be there for V.”

 

“I’m sure she’s already on the hunt for a new boy toy.” 

 

“Well, actually…” the blonde bit her lip nervously. “Can you keep a secret?”

 

The redhead perked up at this, the question seemed sure to precede gossip of the highest quality. “But of course cousin. Far be it from me to spill the inner workings of Riverdale’s very own Scooby Gang.”

 

Betty looked hesitant.

 

Rolling her eyes, Cheryl continued. “Look, I swear on JJ’s grave I’ll keep whatever trivial secret you seem bursting to divulge.”

 

“Well,” Betty took a deep breath, “Veronica told me that she’s sick of guys at the moment.”

 

“Meaning…?”

 

“I’m pretty sure the next person she’s looking to date is a girl.”

 

Cheryl froze. Veronica Lodge was single. She was into girls. She  _ wanted _ to date a girl now. Everything seemed to hit pause while the youngest Blossom fully comprehended the implications of her cousin’s little secret. Or course, there was no way Veronica would be into  _ her _ . Cheryl was far too damaged, had been far too cruel to the so called Core Four as things stood, but still. What if…? It was too good to imagine. Just the possibility would more than Cheryl was fully prepared for. But if there was a time to make a move –

 

“Cheryl? Cheryl? You okay?”

 

Betty’s words snapped her back to reality.

 

“That’s quite the revelation about our dear Lodge. I’m sure you’re looking to replay your little encounter during cheerleading tryouts.” Cheryl said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I–I–” the blonde’s face was redder than Blossom hair. “Well– I hadn’t really – friends – Veronica–”

 

“Oh, relax Nancy Drew, we already know she more into gingers anyway.” Cheryl laughed, flipping her long red hair over a shoulder.

 

It was Betty’s turn to freeze now. “Wait, Cheryl? Are  _ you _ into Veronica?”

 

“It’s your turn to keep a secret, dear cousin.”

 

“Cheryl, I’d never tell anyone if you did.”

 

Taking a deep breath, the Blossom responded. “Yes. Well, I did. Like her, that is. I’ll admit I was perhaps misguided in my expression, but I assure you my feelings were true. My horrid mother would never have permitted such a thing so I was forced to remain in solitude. Now, however I am free to do as I please. Nonetheless, any harbored emotions I may have had for Veronica are currently sealed away and inconsequential at the present time.”

 

“Sealed?” Betty looked confused. “What do you mean?”

 

“Letters, Betty. Letters. I’ve written several. Merely to express myself with clarity and to cleanse myself of any attachment.”

 

“Wait, wait. Letters, plural? How many have you written to her?”

 

“One. And it’s never been sent. The others are to different people. Veronica is certainly not the only girl to catch my eye.”

 

Betty started to respond when she was cut off by her mother. “Girls? The twins are waking up.”

 

Cheryl stood quickly, straightened the skirt she was wearing, and returned to the sitting room where Polly sat perched on the couch with Dagwood in her arms. Juniper was on the floor, trying desperately to crawl across the rug with very little success. Cheryl bent quickly to scoop up the young girl and took her place next to Polly. Unlike her brother, Juniper’s hair was closer to the Cooper’s yellow locks, perhaps more strawberry blonde. Cheryl played with the thin wisps on her niece’s head, idly chatting with Polly, swapping stories of Jason from happier times. Polly absolutely adored hearing about Jason’s childhood, presumably to have something to compare the twins to, and Nana Rose was happy to chime in when Cheryl ran out of stories. Betty slipped back into the room just as Cheryl finished regaling them in a tale of Jason catching frogs at the edge of Sweetwater River. The boy had been so entertained until his sister had warned that some were poisonous, at which point Jason had begun to panic and had run home to Thornhill.

 

By 5:00, Polly needed to return to the farm. As always, it broke Cheryl’s heart to see the last bit of her brother disappear down her drive. She sighed wistfully, and turned back to Thistlehouse. It seemed strangely empty now that the Coopers had left. Part of her wished they hadn’t, but of course what she wanted was company and the Coopers were pretty far down on her list of choices. Hearing her Nana cough, Cheryl broke out of her contemplative state and she hurried to fix dinner.

 

That night, as she lay in bed, Cheryl’s thoughts dwelled heavily on her brother. Jason. She truly did miss him. It might hurt less and less every day, but the hole he had left in her life would never be repaired. He had thrown away everything he had money, a business empire, his family, _ Cheryl _ , just to be with Polly Cooper. Polly fucking Cooper. Cheryl scowled into her pillow. What was so special about Polly Cooper? How could Polly Cooper be worth that much? Cheryl knew, even if she didn’t want to admit it. Jason had loved Polly Cooper. Loved her more than life itself. Loved her more than anything or anyone else. Loved her more than Cheryl. What would it be like to have someone care about you, love you, that much? And Cheryl’s thoughts rested upon the intriguing tidbit Betty Cooper had mentioned. Veronica Lodge was into girls.

 

It had been nearly a year since Cheryl had first laid eyes on the New York beauty. Her sleek black hair perfectly styled, fingers manicured with precision, and her impeccable fashion sense to rival that of the Blossom Bombshell herself. And her iconic pearls. Naturally, anyone worthy of Cheryl Blossom needed something as iconic as her red lipstick. It was a nice idea, a fantasy. Veronica Lodge and Cheryl Blossom. A true Riverdale power couple. Ruling the Vixens, the school, the town. It was a wonderful thought. Smiling to herself, Cheryl pushed her concerns about the feasibility or lack of realisticness, and dwelled happily on the idea of the girl in the Pembrooke as she drifted off to sleep.

 

\-- 

 

School on Monday was a dull affair. Cheryl could never allow her 4.0 GPA to suffer, but that didn’t mean she had to enjoy the lectures on the rise mercantilism in a colonialist Europe. The day seemed to drag on and on, this day in particular as she was anxious to get to River Vixen’s practice and assess a post-Archie Andrews Veronica Lodge. The couple had been together so long, sickening anyone unlucky enough to cross their path with far too much PDA, that it was difficult to imagine one without the other. 

 

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the start of extracurricular activities. It was time. Cheryl took a deep breath and walked as fast as she could in high heels, to the gym. 

 

The changing rooms were empty when she arrived. This was relatively standard. As captain, Cheryl had a duty to arrive first and to be prepared. Perhaps the other members of her squad could afford to linger by their lockers and converse with friends but she, Riverdale’s HBIC, had a reputation to maintain. 

 

Opening her locker, she took out her practice clothes. A Riverdale High t-shirt and matching shorts. Peeling off her red top, Cheryl pulled the cotton warm up shirt over her head, causing the changing room to briefly disappear from view. When her vision was again unobstructed, she found that the room was not alone. Toni Topaz stood in the corner, having just entered. Silently, the Serpent walked to her locker and began to change.

 

This struck Cheryl as quite odd. Toni usually loitered around with her gang friends,  _ Fangs _ and  _ Sweet Pea _ . Cheryl scoffed inwardly at the Southsiders’ ridiculous choice in names. But here stood the pink haired Serpent, preparing for cheer a full fifteen minutes before practice was scheduled to start. As Cheryl began to retouch her makeup, she naturally had to look the best to maintain control over the girls on her squad, she allowed her eyes to stray across her mirror, examining Toni in the reflection. The Serpent had shed her jacket and mesh top, leaving her briefly shirtless. Oh God. Cheryl really couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering along Toni’s torso from the snake tattoo exposed just underneath her bra to her perfectly toned abs. Not that she’d ever admit it to her face, but the pink haired biker was damn hot. 

 

Quickly gluing her eyes back to her own reflection, Cheryl finished applying her lipstick. She bent to lace up her sneakers and was just on her way out of the locker room to set up for practice when she felt a hand grab her arm. Cheryl whirled around ready to lash out, when her eyes met Toni’s. The Serpent girl was staring at her very seriously.

 

“Cheryl.”

 

“What on earth could you possibly want Cha-Cha?”

 

“I wanted to catch you before the other girls got here. After practice, we need to talk.

 

“Really? I wasn’t aware that Southside scum could possibly have any shared topics of conversation with anyone not part of your ragamuffin gang.”

 

“It’s about this.”

 

Toni released Cheryl’s arm and reached into her bag. The redhead stood, watching her quizzically, not having the faintest clue what the Serpent could possibly want with her. Toni finally pulled something from her backpack. Cheryl blanched, her face going white, throwing her bright red lips into further contrast. In her hand, Toni held an envelope. Addressed in red ink. Containing, Cheryl knew, a letter that was never meant to be read. A letter that only two people knew about. Cheryl Blossom and Betty Cooper. That stone cold bitch. Fuck

 

“I– I–” Cheryl stammered

 

Coming up empty, at a loss for words, she spun on the spot, and strode straight into the gym wondering frantically how she was possibly going to explain everything Toni and, as a much more immediate problem, how she could possibly make it through practice.


	3. Impulsive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People have letters, Cheryl panics.

The door to the locker room shut behind Cheryl as she stormed into the gym. How the fuck had Toni gotten her letter? She had never sent them, never meant to send them. Betty had known, and Betty had been at her house unsupervised while Cheryl had been with the twins. Betty Cooper would have to pay for this. But first, Cheryl would have to deal with the absolute mess she was stuck in. Suddenly, a sickening thought crossed her mind.  _ If Toni had her letter, who else had gotten one? Could they have all been sent? Could Veronica have gotten hers? Could Josie? _ The horrifying reality sunk in as Cheryl collapsed onto the bleachers. Just how much trouble was she in?

 

Cheryl shot to her feet as other girls began to filter out of the locker room. Tina and Ginger were absorbed in their own shallow conversation and thus remained ignorant of their captain’s momentary display of distress. Pulling herself together, Cheryl watched as the rest of the River Vixens lined up in the gym. As her eyes scanned the row of girls, mentally taking attendance of her squad. Her gaze came to rest on the last girl in the line. Betty Cooper, her hair pulled back into the classic ponytail. Just looking at her made Cheryl’s temper rise. But of course she couldn’t show it. She’d just have to make everyone on the squad, Betty in particular, as miserable as possible.

 

“Alright ladies, given the absolutely abysmal state of your performance at last weeks football game, it is clear that  _ some of us _ ,” she glared pointedly at Betty, “need to work on our overall physical abilities. As such, today will be spent on conditioning. We’ll be starting with that staple of public school systems, the pacer test. First one to drop has an extra five laps to run.”

 

Groaning, the cheer squad lined up at the end of the gym. The recording started to play

 

“ _ The FitnessGram pacer test is a multistage aerobic activity…” _

 

Cheryl took a deep breath. The running would at least clear her head. And she knew Betty was particularly bad at this particular endurance test. The beeps started with a relatively large spacing, so she could warm up by jogging the first few lengths of the gym. By beep 20, she was definitely running and by beep 40, she was starting to feel the strain. It was at beep 53 that the first girl dropped. It was, as Cheryl had expected, Betty Cooper. 

 

As the rest of the girls completed the test, Betty sat panting on the bleachers. Once the last girl, Toni, had finally been unable to keep pace, Cheryl addressed the exhausted blonde. 

 

“Stand up you Nancy Drew wannabe, you have a few more laps to run.”

 

Betty ran her five laps, now sweating buckets. As soon as she arrived back where the other girls were waiting, Cheryl started them on a core workout. Betty, having no time to catch her breath, soon fell behind pace, leaving her open for another round of criticism from Cheryl. The barrage of insults rained down on the blonde as tears started to well in her eyes.

 

“–so if you can’t get yourself together and participate in the practice with the squad that you are only on my my good graces then get out of my sight and out of this gym!”

 

Betty left the gym in tears, head bent to hide her face. Veronica turned on Cheryl.

 

“What the fuck, Cheryl? What’s wrong with you?” V turned and followed her best friend into her locker room, Cheryl’s icy gaze on her back.

 

With the exit of B&V, the Riverdale HBIC turned back to her team. Her eyes swept over the girls, who all looked downright nervous. The only exception was Toni, who was watching the redhead with a look of concern and confusion. Cheryl inhaled deeply and restarted their practice.

 

\--

 

After practice, Cheryl took her time going to the locker room. Despite Toni’s request to talk after practice had concluded, Cheryl had no intention of making that easy for her. She was ready to ignore the issue and let the matter die without ever addressing this egregious exposure of a not so long ago crush. 

When she entered the locker room, Cheryl found that most of the team was still there, changing, gossiping, and reapplying makeup. She scanned the room quickly. Toni was at her corner locker, pulling on her serpent jacket. Cheryl’s eyes wandered over to Veronica, who was finishing touching up her lipstick. She glanced down at Veronica’s bag and nearly gagged. Barely visible sticking out of her purse was a red envelope. Well, shit. Betty really had sent all of them. Every single letter was out there.

 

Cheryl whipped open her own locker, using the door to shield her face from anyone who might be looking her way. This was a mess. An absolute disaster. If this got out then the image Charyl had spent her entire high school career cultivating would come crumbling down in an instant. What on Earth was she going to do about this? She couldn’t just stop talking to anyone involved, could she? The thought crossed her mind but had quickly been snuffed out as she reminded herself that Josie and Veronica were both her friends and would surely find it odd if she suddenly cut them off. Perhaps she could just wait for everything to die down? Regardless of the feelings she felt reemerging for Veronica, she had had no intent on ever acting on them. No. She would just have to act like she never knew the letters had been sent or even written. The only one who seemed to have any desire to discuss the matter was Toni and as she was a Serpent, Cheryl had no obligation to ever interact with her again. With a deep breath Cheryl composed herself, confident in her conclusion in course of action when for the second time that day, she felt a hand grab her arm.

 

“What the–” she started, but was cut of when Toni tugged her away from the locker.

 

The Serpent dragged the redhead around the corner, out of sight of the other girls who were slowly filtering out of the room. Facing the Blossom, Toni released her arm and began to speak.

 

“Look, I know you’re probably going to try and avoid me but we really need to talk about this.” she hissed in a low voice, careful not to be overheard as she held up the letter again. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing right now but it needs to stop. I’m not going to get sucked up into this. And even if this were a sliver of a possibility, it would still be insane. You’re a Northsider. Captain of the fucking cheerleading team. I already know you don’t give a damn about Southside Scum. So what the hell is this?”

 

“I don’t know how that letter ended up in your hands but rest assured, I have no intention of pursuing anything with underachieving gang members in a band of misfits. It was a passing impulse written in a much darker time. I have since come back to reality and have not the remoteness level of interest in Serpent Scum such as yourself. Are we done here?”

 

“Um, yeah. I guess so. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Like, I’m flattered but this can’t happen.Just so we’re clear”

 

“Completely. Crystal. If there’s nothing else you need, you can leave now, Nightmare Smurfette.”

Rolling her eyes, Toni turned back around the corner towards the lockers, stopping short when she saw Veronica, who was seated on the bench at the end of the row of lockers. Glancing down, Toni noticed a red envelope sticking out of her handbag. The Serpent’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Is Cheryl still here?” Veronica inquired, getting to her feet, picking up her bag and beginning to walk slowly across the room towards Toni.

“Yup. She is.”

 

At that moment, the HBIC herself rounded the corner, coming to a standstill just behind Toni. Cheryl quickly took stock of the room. It was just her, Toni, and Veronica. And Veronica had been waiting to talk. Shit. She began to panic internally, running over options in her head, none of them seriously viable.

Not knowing what else to do, just knowing she couldn’t deal with Veronica at the time being, Cheryl grabbed Toni by the arm, slammed her up against the lockers, and kissed her.

 

The Serpent tasted of strawberries, her lips were soft under Cheryl’s. One hand was cupping Toni’s cheek, the other was lost in pink hair as her body pressed against the shorter girl’s, keeping her pinned against the locker behind her. Her lips moved gently, not wanting to startle the Southsider more than she already had.

 

“I’m sorry, uh, I’ll just go.” Veronica backed away uncomfortably, unsure how to approach this strangest of scenarios.

 

As the sound of heels faded away, Cheryl broke away from Toni. Stepping away to catch her breath, the red head looked at the girl in front of her. Toni was shocked and confused, caught completely off guard by Cheryl’s sudden attack.

 

Cheryl, blushing as red as her hair, swept past Toni to the locker labeled HBIC. Grabbing her bag, and the clothes she had intended to change into, she left the room quickly, still in her practice uniform.

 

Toni stood, alone, frozen to the spot in the River Vixens changing room. What the fuck had just happened? She shook her head to clear it, then rushed out of the empty room. She had more pressing matters to attend to than Cheryl’s latest ploy. She exited the building, hopped on her bike, and resolved to try to clarify things with the red head tomorrow.


	4. Contracts: Sign Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just the aftermath of the locker room debacle. Toni sees some benefits to being associated with Cheryl.

Toni awoke the next morning far more tired than she would have liked. She’d had a late shift at the Wyrm and some lightweight had thrown up all over the floor so she’d had to stay even later to clean that mess. Then when she’d finally gotten home, the events of the locker room had played in her head over and over. Cheryl Blossom had kissed her. Cheryl Blossom had kissed  _ her _ . Granted, she had also called her Serpent Scum and said she had no interest in Toni. But still. The young serpent had no idea what to make of the situation, or even how she herself. Sure, she’d noticed Cheryl was attractive, you’d have to be blind not to, but the beauty of the head cheerleader was simply frustrating to Toni. It made it so much harder to hate her and everything she stood for. Cheryl Blossom was the epitome of Northside privilege. Wealthy, a huge home, everything handed to her on a silver plate. Toni resented it. Resented her. 

Sighing, she rolled out of bed and pulled on a dark tank top and ripped jeans. After pulling on her serpent jacket and lacing up her boots, Toni moved to the bathroom, applying her makeup for the day. She had just finished adding lip gloss when her phone began to buzz on the sink counter. 

Toni lunged for the phone, fumbled, almost dropped it, then answered. “What do you want, Pea?”

“Tiny, where the fuck are you? Jug, Fangs, and I have been waiting for like ten minutes!” Sweet pea sounded aggravated on the other end. “Are you even planning to come to school today? I know the Northside sucks ass but at least it’s an education!”

Toni shot a sideways glance at her bedside clock, just visible from the bathroom through the open door to her room. “Shit! I didn’t realize how late it was! I’ll be out in a sec, see you soon Sweets!”

She hung up and slammed her phone down on the counter, and quickly pulled her hair back into a simple ponytail. It would have to do. She grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the trailer, slamming the door behind her. Hopping on her bike, she jammed her helmet onto her head. She kicked off and sped away from her trailer, towards the entrance to Sunnyside. 

She skidded to a stop next to the boys who looked anxious to depart, not wanting to be too late to school. “Sorry about the wait. You guys ready?”

Jughead snorted in derision. “Toni, we’ve  _ been _ ready.”

“Shut up Jug,” Fangs cut in, “You’re late all the time, staying up til the crack of dawn working on those weird cases and books of yours.”

“Or staying out at Pop’s for a fourth burger.” Sweet Pea offered.

“Hey! I’ll have you know that burgers are a key part of a healthy diet!” Jughead defended. “They have, like, all of the food groups  _ and _ they taste good!”

“We really shouldn’t waste too much more time.” Toni interrupted, knowing Jug could talk about food for hours. “I’ll race you guys to the school, and since it’s my fault we’re running late, I’ll give the winner twenty bucks.”

“It’s on! You losers are gonna eat my dust!” Sweet Pea howled. And with that, the serpents were off.

 

\-- 

 

Fangs ended up winning the race, much to Sweet Pea’s disappointment. Sweets had attempted to take a “shortcut” instead of waiting at a red light, and ended up stuck in traffic, arriving a full two minutes after the other three had parked their bikes. Fangs teased the taller boy incessantly, waving the bill in his face until the first bell rang.

“See, we’re not even late!” Toni huffed, moving her bag to one shoulder and heading towards class.

“Later, Tiny!”

She might have brushed off the boy’s concerns about their tardiness, but Toni all but jogged to make it to AP English on time, skidding into class just as passing period ended. Rushing to the back of the room where her desk sat open and muttering an apology to her teacher, Toni sat and hurriedly removed  _ Catcher in the Rye _ and her binder of class notes. Setting her phone on her desk, she pulled out a pencil, anxious to appear ready and engaged considering she had already shown up late and all the teachers at Riverdale High had severe Southside bias. 

About thirty minutes into class, her phone buzzed on her desk. Glancing up quickly to make sure the teacher hadn’t noticed and wasn’t watching her, Toni check the notifications screen.

**Vixens Group Chat**

**Cheryl Blossom: Practice is cancelled today as the volleyball team has a rescheduled game in the gym and the football team has the field. I expect all of you to be ready to work even harder tomorrow to make up for this lost time.**

Toni shoved her phone back into her bag just as the teacher called on her.

“And the ducks here are a symbol of what, Ms. Topaz?”

“Holden’s inability to accept change. He doesn’t want to accept the ducks adapting to winter because it represents too much change, particularly as he fixates on Allie, who will never get the opportunity to grow up and adapt.” 

“Very good. Now if you’ll all turn to page 127…”

 

\--

 

It was lunch when Toni reconvened with the other serpents. Sweet Pea was stuffing his face potato chips while Fangs chatted idly about some idiotic Bulldog in his chemistry class.

“And then, deadass, he just turned on the propane full throttle. The flames were so big. I didn’t know a Bunsen Burner could even produce that much fire. Most of his eyebrows are gone now though.”

Sweet Pea chuckled through his mouthful of food. “Serves him right, He’s always giving us shit about being stupid just cuz we’re from the Southside and he burned off his eyebrows. Looks like it’s the Bulldogs that don’t have brains!”

Unfortunately, Chuck Clayton and Reggie Mantle were walking by right when Sweet Pea made the comment. “Hey!” Reggie shouted. “You talking about Marcus?”

Sweet Pea stood up to face the football captain, towering a head above him. “Yeah, we were. Your dumbass buddy burned his own eyebrows off. Pretty fuckin’ funny if you ask me.”

“Shut up, you Serpent asshole.”

“Make me!”

Reggie lunged for Sweet Pea, shoving him backwards, grabbing his leather jacket, yanking him forward again, and punching him straight in the stomach. 

“That’s it!” Sweet Pea pulled Reggie up by the lapels of his letterman jacket. “You messed with the wrong Serpent you mangy, flea ridden Bulldog!” He drew his arm back, ready to punch Reggie square in the face.

“Sweets, no!” Toni launched herself across the table, grabbing at her best friends arm to prevent him from punching the Bulldog. At the same time, Chuck Clayton had come in swinging, trying to come to his friend’s defense before the much bigger Southsider. Toni reached Sweet Pea before Chuck, dragging his arm back, effectively saving the Serpent from detention and the Bulldog from a black eye. This however, did not leave Chuck enough time to slow his fist which collided with the side of Toni’s face.

“Oh, shit!” Fangs sprang forward and jammed himself between Toni and Chuck, shielding the small girl from the much larger football player.

“Tiny are you okay?” Sweet pea had released Reggie and turned to check on his friend.

Reggie took a few steps back, looking shocked, and tugged on Chuck’s arm. “Dude, you just hit a girl! Wait, that’s Topaz. Shit, bro. Cheryl’s gonna kill you.”

Chuck scoffed, looking a little nervous. “Let’s go dude.”

As the Bulldogs left to go sit with the rest of the football team as the Serpents settled back into their chairs. Sweet Pea scowled at Reggie’s back. “Good riddance. You all good, Tiny?”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Yeah I’m fine. Chuck Clayton hits like a sissy. This is nowhere near as bad as those Ghoulies from last month.” she gestured at the bruise that was slowly forming on the left side of her face. “This’ll be gone in a few days.”

“Hey, what was Reggie saying about Cheryl though?” Fangs looked puzzled. “ Why would she be mad about Chuck hitting you?”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that too.” Sweet Pea threw Toni a sly smile. “I’ve heard some interesting rumors. Word on the street is that Riverdale’s head bitch had her tongue down your throat yesterday.” he raised his eyebrows in Toni’s direction. “And in the middle of the locker room too.”

Fangs choked on his water. “Damn, Toni!” he coughed several times before getting his next words out. “Is it true? Did you really?”

“No!” Toni glared at the boys. “Well, kind of. It’s complicated. She kissed me. I didn’t kiss back. She just kinda jumped me after cheer.” she sighed. “Wait, how did you even find out?”

Sweet Pea shrugged. “I heard a few football players talking about it during trig. Apparently they have nothing better to talk about than a cheerleaders tangled love life.”

Sweet Pea returned to his chips as Fangs piped up, “Be careful there Tiny. You don’t want to end up on the wrong side of the Queen Bitch of Riverdale. Don’t play with fire, you could get burned.” he finished sagely, biting into his sandwich.

“Ugh, you guys suck. I have no intention of playing with anything.” Toni spoke quickly. “I mean, well, whatever. I’m gonna go do homework. Library.” The boys chortled and high fived as Toni left the table.

She walked quickly away from the courtyard and headed back towards the school building. Instead of heading towards the library, Toni turned into the student lounge which was empty as most people were either in the cafeteria or out in the courtyard during lunch. Slumping into an armchair in the corner of the room, she let out a long sigh. She had do some damage control on the Cheryl situation before it spun too far out of control. And the football team already knew. Toni let out a groan of frustration. Stupid Northsiders.

She felt she had been very clear with Cheryl. Nothing could happen between them. Their differences were too great. And Toni was sure Cheryl was just playing another cruel joke. There was no way the letter could have been real, could it? If it had been then Cheryl would surely have been kinder to her overall. No one could be that much of a bitch to someone they loved. She had to sit down and talk to Cheryl out of school. They needed to sort things out somewhere they couldn’t be interrupted. Vixen’s practice had been cancelled so she knew the Blossom would be free after school and given the short notice, it was doubtful that she had any new plans. Toni took out her phone and tapped out a quick text.

**Toni Topaz: Hey, Cheryl. I’ve heard some weird rumors around school today about what happened in the locker room.**

**Toni Topaz: Could we meet up after school to talk about it?**

**Cheryl Blossom: Why on Earth would I want to be seen in public anywhere with Southside Scum such as yourself?**

**Toni Topaz: Well whatever happened yesterday sure got public real quick so I don’t see how this is much different.**

**Cheryl Blossom: Well it is. Very different.**

**Toni Topaz: Look, just be at Pop’s after school. We really need to talk.**

**Cheryl Blossom: Fine. But you’re paying.**

Toni rolled her eyes. Of course the Blossom bitch whose outfit today probably cost more than the trailer Toni lived in was making her pay for food at Pop’s. Typical. Never mind how long it took for Toni to make that money in the first place, working night shifts at the Wyrm. But if that’s what it took to clarify the situation and avoid any further drama. She needed to fly under the radar as much as possible to survive at Riverdale High.

 

\-- 

 

Toni sped out of the school parking lot at the end of the day, noticing that Cheryl’s bright red Impala was nowhere to be seen. She smirked as the wind whipped through her hair. She’d be getting to Pop’s after Cheryl. Maybe she’d go the long way just to keep the Blossom girl waiting. 

Cheryl was kept waiting about fifteen minutes, sitting in a back booth of the ChockLit shoppe before the pink haired serpent strutted through the door. Toni simply oozed confidence as she made her way to the booth where the redhead sat waiting. She plopped down across from Cheryl with a slight smirk playing across her lips.

“So glad you agreed to meet me here, I was worried you’d be too good to hang out with a Serpent.”

“If that comment was meant in anyway to alter my prior perceptions on you and your Southside pals, you are sorely mistaken. Leave it to a Southsider to show up late to a meeting you arranged.”

“You got me there,” Toni chuckled and turned towards the main counter. “Hey Pop, could I get a chocolate shake please.”

“Of course,” Pop smiled over at them. “And anything for you, Ms. Blossom?”

“Cherry phosphate, as usual.”

“Coming right up, ladies.”

Toni turned back to face Cheryl. “So do you want a chance to explain whatever the hell that was yesterday? Cuz we talked  about the letter and I thought we were pretty clear that nothing was ever gonna happen. So I don’t really get why–”

“Veronica.” Cheryl cut in. “You weren’t the only one who got a letter, Veronica has one too.”

“Damn, Blossom. I wasn’t the only one to get one. Way to make a girl feel special.”

“Look. I didn’t want them to get sent. My horrid cousin, Betty Cooper, released them after I confided in her.” Cheryl closed her eyes tightly. “And now Veronica knows I like her, or suspects at least. It’s just a mess. And I couldn’t possibly date her this soon after she split with Archie or ever really considering her friends absolutely despise me. It’s such a mess.”

Pop came over with a tray and set their shakes in front of them. “Here you go, enjoy.”

“Thanks Pop!” Toni grinned and sipped her shake. “So you kissed me because….”

Cheryl sighed. “I wanted Veronica to think I liked someone else. I don’t want to ruin our current dynamic. We’re almost friends and I didn’t want to complicate things by adding other feelings to the mix.”

“I see.”

The two girls sat in silence, slightly uncomfortable with the amount of information that had just been shared. They weren’t friends, not even close. But Cheryl had just let Toni in on a big secret.

“Well,” Toni ventured, trying to fill the void with conversation. “Chuck and Reggie decided not to start a fight today because they thought we were together. So I guess you kinda helped me and Sweet Pea avoid suspension.”

Cheryl snorted. “Great, so now I’m helping Serpents. Really making me feel wonderful Cha-Cha.”

“Well if you get to use me to get out of dealing with Veronica, I can at least leverage that to avoid getting beat up.”

“Chuck did that to your face?” Cheryl almost sounded slightly concerned.

“I mean, yeah.” the serpent turned her eyes downward to stare into her shake. “It’s not like it’s uncommon. The football team is always messing us, trying to get us suspended or expelled.”

“I’m sorry. That’s truly terrible.”

Suddenly Toni had an idea. “Hey, this kinda might sound crazy, but bear with me.” she leaned forward towards Cheryl, who looked confused. “What if we pretended to be together. Pretended to date.”

“What?!” the redhead’s jaw dropped, she looked absolutely appalled.

“Yeah, hear me out. If we do this, you can keep making Veronica think you like someone else, and who knows, maybe she’ll get jealous. And I can use your rep to survive high school as painlessly as possible.”

Cheryl mulled it over, taking a long sip of her cherry phosphate. “Fine. But there needs to be ground rules. A contract.”

Toni shrugged. “Okay then.”

Cheryl smiled and pulled out a sheet of paper and a red pen. And so the negotiations began. The first rule, obviously, was that either one could call it quits at any time, no questions asked. If they were going to fake date, they were going to be able to fake break up whenever they wanted.

“PDA ground rules.” Cheryl stated as she drew a small number two under their first rule. “Kissing, but nothing further, and only when necessary.”

“Fine by me. No hands below the belt.” Toni added.

“You need to come to Northside parties with me. If I’m dating someone, I need to be able to take them to parties.”

“Fine. But only if you agree to come hang at the Wyrm too. There’s no way it’d be believable unless you came out with us as well.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not going out the filthy dive bar you call a base.”

“Then I’m not going to Northside parties.” Toni folded her arms. “End of story.”

“Ugh, you’re insufferable. Have it your way, Cha-Cha. You come to my parties, I’ll go to your bar.”

“Perfect.”

“However, if we are still doing this by the end of the semester, you need to come out to Lodge Lodge for the winter break throwdown.”

“The what?”

“Veronica throws a three day party at the start of winter break out at her ski chalet. If we’re still ‘dating’” Cheryl added air quotes, “You have to come.”

“Ugh, three days with Northsiders! And you think this is even going to last until break?”

“If it does–”

“Yeah, okay, fine. Are we done now?”

“Yes. Just sign here.” Cheryl passed the pen over to Toni.

The serpent scrawled her name at the bottom of the sheet of paper next to the loopy signature of Cheryl Blossom. Toni stood up to leave.

“Wait one more thing!” Cheryl reached her hand out. “Let me see your phone.”

“Why?”

“I’m changing my contact name.”

“To what?”

“You’ll see.”

“Can I change my name in yours then?”

“I already made the necessary alterations.”

Cheryl stood to face Toni and handed her phone back. “Later Serpent. Thanks for paying for our first date” With that, the redhead leaned over, planted a kiss on Toni’s cheek, and strode out of the diner.

Toni threw a few bills down on the table to cover their shakes and left Pop’s. She had just made it to her bike when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She smirked as read the text from Cheryl. She typed out a response before leaving for the Southside.

 

**CherryBombshell <3 : Looks like we’re in this together now, Cha-Cha**

**TT <3 : I wouldn’t have it any other way ;)**


	5. A Northside Party

The news that Cheryl Blossom was dating Toni Topaz travelled extremely quickly, even by Riverdale standards. Really the only person Cheryl had needed to tell was Kevin and he had spread the news far and wide as soon as he could. The student body had been thoroughly shocked to say the least. Cheryl’s distaste for all things Southside and Toni’s similar attitude towards Northside privilege meant that no one could have predicted that anything could possibly have bridged the gap. And then there was the additional matter of Cheryl Blossom liking girls. This secondary piece of gossip intrigued a great number of people as well. Not that they had any problems, but the change in their expectations of the HBIC meant that there was little else to talk about for the next week. Riverdale’s newest power couple and the union of North and South queens caused all other drama to pale in comparison. By the next Friday, everyone had grown accustomed to the change. Seeing Cheryl and Toni wandering around holding hands had become commonplace and any dissent over this new relationship had been quelled.

It was lunchtime and Toni was sitting in the courtyard with Sweet Pea and Fangs, Jughead having opted to sit with his friend Archie and the Northside crew. The September day was rather warm for fall, so she had taken off her Serpent jacket and draped it over the chair to her right. Although the jacket was off, the gang presence still hung heavily over the trio. As Toni had predicted, her status as Cheryl’s girlfriend meant that they were left alone, which meant they could safely discuss Serpent business without the risk of being overheard by any other students. The boys were already in deep conversation over potential Ghoulie movements on the Southside.

“Tall Boy said they’re coming to Sunnyside next, I think they’re planning on kicking us out for good.” Fangs muttered darkly.

Sweet Pea slammed his hand on the table. “They can’t do that! We’ve gotta fight those motherfuckers. They can’t just force us out of our homes. We’re the  _ Southside _ serpents, that’s our turf!”

“Pea, calm down.” Toni interjected “We don’t know anything for sure. Hog Eye was with Tall Boy on their stakeout and he said they weren’t sure how serious the threat is or where specifically they wanted to strike.”

Fangs patted his friend on the back “We’ll be ready to fight if they decide to attack but there’s no point in getting worked up just because the Ghoulies  _ might _ –”

“Shut up!”

“Whoa, man there’s no need to snap, I’m just saying that the Ghoul–”

“ _ Shut up. _ ” Sweet Pea hissed again, this time with a nod towards Toni.

The pink haired girl only had few seconds to look confused before she caught the smell of maple and cherries and a soft kiss was planted on her cheek. Cheryl had approached relatively unnoticed and the sudden contact caused her to start. Toni recovered quickly and turned her head to look up at her fake girlfriend. “Hey there, babe. What’s up?”

Sweet Pea and Fangs shot each other a look and rolled their eyes. Cheryl, ignoring them, took the seat next to Toni. “Nothing much, just wanted to see you. School’s been a real drag this week.”

“Yeah I know, right? But at least it’s Friday. Practically the weekend”

“Speaking of the weekend,” Cheryl flipped her hair over her shoulder and looked seriously at Toni. “Reggie is hosting a party tonight as the Bulldogs don’t have a game this week. You’ll be there as my guest, or course. And,” she waved her hand towards Sweet Pea and Fangs, “These fine young men would be welcome to attend as well.”

The two boys looked bewildered. Toni swallowed and responded to the redhead’s invitation. “Yeah, I’ll be there for sure. And as for Sweets and Fangs–”

“I’ve got a shift at the Wyrm tonight.” Sweet Pea cut in quickly, clearly having no intention of attending a Bulldog party.

“Um, right, and I’ve got, uh,” Fangs fumbled for an excuse. “Patrol duty! With FP. We’re just going to be out guarding the trailer park tonight.”

“Oh, well, I guess it’ll just be the two of us then, TT.” Cheryl stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish an essay before seventh period. Au revoir, ma chérie.” And with that, the head cheerleader swept away, heading back towards the building.

“Tiny.” Sweet Pea was staring across the table at his friend. “You are  _ not _ going to a Northside Party. There’s no way that’ll be fun. All those Bulldogs. And we really do have to watch out for the Ghoulies tonight.”

“She’s my girlfriend Sweets, I have to at least make an appearance.” Toni sighed.

“Yeah,” said Fangs. “And you have to get your jacket back.”

“My what?” Toni whirled to look at the chair next to her where her Serpent jacket had been resting a moment before. Sure enough, it was missing. “Shit. She really did take it.”

The boys roared with laughter as Toni took out her phone to message Cheryl.

 

**TT <3: Really, taking my jacket?**

**CherryBombshell <3: I want everyone to know I’m yours <3**

**TT <3: Okay, but take something else. That jacket is part of me being a Serpent. I need it back. And this wasn’t a part of the agreement.**

**CherryBombshell <3: Ugh, fine. I’ll give it back tonight.**

**TT <3: Do I really have to go to that party?**

**CherryBombshell <3: Yes, Cha cha, that was literally in the contract**

**TT <3: Alright but I’m not staying long.**

**CherryBombshell <3: As long as everyone sees us together**

**TT <3: Yeah, okay. See you there**

**CherryBombshell <3: xoxo**

 

\--

 

Toni wasn’t sure exactly how to dress for a Northside high school party but she had pretty good guess that Cheryl would be in over the top fancy attire. Not wanting to seem to undressed compared to her ‘girlfriend’, Toni selected a pair of ripped black jeans  and lacy blue crop top to wear with her Doc Martin heels. Hopefully she wouldn’t look too out of place although, she considered for a moment, people would probably be too drunk to care too much about her wardrobe choices. Pulling on a hoodie, damn she really missed her serpent jacket, Toni hopped on her bike and headed for Reggie’s house.

Once she arrived, Toni parked her bike out front and stowed her hoodie in the storage compartment under the seat. She tapped out a text to Cheryl to let her know she was here and made her way to the front door. Before she even had time to knock, the door was yanked open by Cheryl Blossom herself, sporting Toni’s jacket over a bright red dress. The combination wasn’t half bad, thought still unexpected of someone who professed to hate the Serpents so deeply. 

“Damn, Blossom. That jacket looks good on you.” Toni raised her phone to snap a photo of her standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

“Everything looks good on me.” Cheryl replied with the utmost confidence.

“Let me see your phone for a sec.”

“Why on Earth would I let you do that?”

“You’ll see, just give it to me.”

Cheryl handed over her phone and Toni quickly swiped to the camera, switching to the front facing lens. Stepping forward and wrapping an arm around the redhead’s neck, she leaned up and kissed her cheek. This won a small smile and light blush from the taller girl, and Toni was quick to snap a photo.

“What was that about?”

Toni smirked. “Well, you changed our contact names, so I thought I ought to choose our new our lockscreens.” She handed Cheryl her phone back, with the new photo set as the background.

Cheryl smiled gently. “And what will yours be?”

“I’ve already got one.” Toni flashed her phone screen, showing the picture of Cheryl leaning in the doorway, wearing the serpent jacket. The frame of the entryway fit perfectly against the edges of the screen. “I told you you look good in my jacket.”

“That I do.” smiling, Cheryl grabbed the Serpent’s hand. “Now come on, let’s join the party.”

The music was loud and all the furniture in the Mantle family’s living room had been cleared to the corners to create a makeshift dance floor. The hallways were crowded and Toni would probably have had trouble following Cheryl to the bar in the kitchen if the Blossom didn’t have iron grip on her hand. The kitchen itself was rather nice, with marble countertops and what looked to be state of the art appliances. These were, however, partially blocked from view by the mess of bottles and red solo cups that littered every available surface. Grabbing a few clean cups, Cheryl began to mix herself a drink until Toni grabbed her hand to stop her.

“Here, let me.”  she reached out and took the redhead’s cup, and mixed the drink herself.

Taking a sip, Cheryl grinned. “Wow, this is actually really good. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

Toni shrugged. “I have a part time job as a bartender. I’ve gotten a sense of what will actually taste good.”

“You bartend? At the Wyrm I’m assuming.” Veronica Lodge had wandered into the kitchen. “Jughead’s told us a little bit about it. I didn’t know they let minors serve.”

“Um, yeah, they do.” Toni turned to face the other girl. “I’m not sure that any other bar would let me work, but given that it’s the Serpent’s safe haven, I can pretty much do whatever.” She felt Cheryl’s hand snake around her waist and pull her close, almost possessively.

“Well, then.” Veronica spoke to Toni, though her eyes lingered on the redhead behind her. “I guess you’re a woman of many talents.”

“That I am,” Toni finished her drink quickly, a little uncomfortable with the Lodge girl’s unbroken staring at Cheryl. “Come on, Cher. Let’s go dance.” She grabbed Cheryl’s hand and pulled her towards the living room. The redhead threw back the rest of her drink, wincing a little as it was rather strong. The Serpent guided her back into the throng of people crowding the living room. Toni glanced back, and saw Veronica, leaning against the counter, watching them go.

The music was deafening, and the air was hot and sticky, caused by the mass of teenagers jumping around to the beat. Most of them were already drunk and losing their limited coordination. Toni guided Cheryl just past the edge of the crowd, not conspicuously outside the group,but not in the center of the rowdy teens. Her arms wrapped up and around the redheads neck as Cheryl’s came to rest once again around the Serpent’s waist. She looked around once more trying to spot where Veronica had gone, but it appeared that the raven haired girl had disappeared with Betty Cooper.  _ Good _ . Toni was puzzled at that thought. Why did she care if Veronica had been staring at Cheryl all night? Why did it bother her? It wasn’t like it affected her in any real capacity. Cheryl’s giggle brought her back to reality, and she resumed dancing.

Cheryl had obviously had a few drinks prior to Toni’s arrival, because while the Serpent was only lightly buzzed, the redhead seemed to be at a much more enjoyable level of drunkenness. A smile was plastered to her face as she danced with the pink haired girl, gradually pulling her closer. Their bodies were flush against each other, Cheryl grinding against Toni, guiding the shorter girls hips with her hands. A slight, practically invisible blush began to creep up Toni’s face as she leaned in to rest her forehead on the taller girls shoulder. The song changed, but the two girls didn’t separate, seemingly in their own little world, detached from the rest of the party. It wasn’t until Reggie stumbled into Toni the that the pair broke apart.

“Whoa. Dudes, I’m sorry. I just–” Reggie slurred, gesticulating vaguely behind him.

“Hey!” Archie Andrews appeared out of nowhere, slinging and arm around Reggie’s shoulder, “Let’s get you some water, huh buddy? Can’t have the captain of our team hungover at practice tomorrow.”

“LET’S GO BULLDOGS!” Reggie’s shout was meet with cheers from the crowd as Archie, with Moose’s help pulled him back into the kitchen.

Toni rolled her eyes. “I totally forgot we were at a Northside party until just now. Do you guys ever shut up about your stupid school and your stupid football team?

Cheryl laughed lightly. “No, not the boys. It’s really the most interesting thing about our town. Riverdale is the town with pep after all. But speaking of the party, are you enjoying it? I’d hate to have dragged you out here for a bad time.”

“No, it’s been pretty fun actually.” Toni wrapped her arms back around Cheryl’s neck, looking to resume their previous position. Cheryl complied almost instantly, and they began to sway slowly, not really in time to the bass line but not noticeably off either. “Although, it does really remind me of how much more you guys tend to have. This house is probably worth more than all of the trailers at Sunnyside, and the liquor selection here is far more expensive than what we generally have on stock at the Wyrm.”

Cheryl hummed softly and nodded, at a loss for words. She didn’t really know how to respond to Toni’s statement. Hadn’t thought once about the vastly different walks of life they came from. And now here she was, spending time with this girl, and would probably be spending a lot more as well, who she knew so little about. It was odd to say the least. “You should tell me about it sometime. The Southside.” she mused. “I must admit, growing up at Thornhill left me somewhat isolated, and of course Jason’s murder has left me with less than pleasant feelings about your little gang, but I would very much like to learn more about you, Antoinette Topaz.”

“Maybe some other time Blossom. And don’t use my full name, I hate it. There’s a reason I go by Toni y’know.”

“I think it’s quite lovely. Antoinette is a beautiful French name.”

“Not very intimidating though,” Toni wrinkled her name. “No one in their right mind is afraid when they hear Antoinette.” she took on a tone of mock importance. “As a gang member, it is my duty to strike fear into the hearts of weaker souls. Antoinette really kills that vibe.”

Cheryl chuckled and smiled down at Antoinette. “You’re really not that scary though. I’d still say you’re rather adorable.”

“Hey!” Toni pulled back indignantly, “I’ll have you know, I’m a certified badass.”

The redhead started giggling again, causing the Serpent to smile. She had never seen Cheryl happy before, although some of that might be due to the alcohol. The resident HBIC was always so cold and superior at school that Toni hadn’t considered what she’d be like in a different setting. It was rather nice. Still smiling, she pulled Cheryl’s head down, and kissed her. It was nicer than their encounter in the locker room, softer. Toni’s lips worked gently against Cheryl’s, slightly smearing her red lipstick. Red painted fingers traced their way up the Serpent’s sides, coming to cup her face lightly. Toni allowed her right hand to drift upwards, fingers becoming tangled in long red locks as her left stayed around Cheryl’s neck, fingernails scraping the skin gently, eliciting goosebumps. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Toni broke away, returning to the gentle swaying. The pair didn’t talk, just danced in silence as the music continued to pound away. It could have lasted forever, as far as Toni was concerned, but they were interrupted by her ringtone blaring, just audible through the music.

“Shit. It’s Sweet Pea. I have to take this.”

Cheryl nodded without speaking, letting go of Toni’s waist and grabbing her hand, pulling her into a hallway where it was quiet enough to hear the other end of the call.

“Pea? Pea? Hello? What’s up? What’s going on?” Toni demanded frantically.

“ _ Tiny, it’s the Ghoulies. _ ”

“Fuck! Where?”

“ _ They’re at the park, you know the one about a mile from the trailer park. _ ”

“Yeah, I know the one. What happened?”

“ _ Jug and Fangs decided to do a sweep of the area to make sure they weren’t coming for the Wyrm or Sunnyside and got jumped. Tall Boy was on his way back from a delivery in Greendale and saw the fight starting. He called FP. We’re all going to back up and defend our turf. _ ”

“Shit. I’ll be there soon. On my way.” Toni hung up the phone and looked at Cheryl. “I’m so sorry, I know I said I’d stay at this party but I have to go, the Ghoulies jumped Fangs and Jughead. They need back up.”

Again, Cheryl simply nodded and pulled Toni to the front door. “I get it, you need to go help them.”

“Cheryl, I’m sorry, I know it was part of the agreement but–”

“Family comes first. It’s completely understandable, TT. But if you’re going off to some gang fight, you’ll need this.” At long last, Cheryl took off the leather jacket she had been wearing all night, and handed it back to its owner.

“Thanks.” Toni pulled on the jacket, happy to have the Serpent logo emblazoned on her back once again. She raced to her bike and kicked it into gear, and pulled away from Reggie’s house, definitely going well above the speed limit in an effort to reach her friends.

Cheryl watched her go until she could no longer see the headlights. Sighing, she pulled the door shut and turned to rejoin the party, unsure as to why she suddenly missed the feeling of Toni’s hand in hers.


	6. Demons and Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josie confronts Cheryl, Toni talks to Cheryl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late, between Halloweekend and exams, I was super busy.

Cheryl didn’t see Toni for the rest of the weekend. Nor did she have any contact via text. After Toni had left the party, Cheryl had been thoroughly perplexed as to why she had missed the Serpent so much. They weren’t really together, there was no need to feel lost without the gang member. As such, Cheryl resolved not to reach out or depend on her fake girlfriend for the remainder of their days off from school. It was therefore a shock to Cheryl when she saw Toni’s face on Monday. The confrontation with the Ghoulies may not have been bad by Serpent standards, but for Cheryl the damage was frankly quite shocking. Toni’s left eye was blacked, and a thin cut ran from the right corner of her forehead all the way down to her jaw. Acting instinctively, Cheryl rushed towards the smaller girl, wrapping her up in her arms.

“Oh my god,” she clung to the Serpent even tighter. “Toni. Are you okay? What happened.”

Toni winced in Cheryl’s arms as the hug pressed in on the bruises littering her torso, and she lifted an arm to push the redhead away gently, revealing scabbed knuckles that were obviously used to punch someone in the recent past. “I’m fine. It was just a small fight with the Ghoulies. No big. We deal with this type of thing a lot.”

“Seriously, Red.” Sweet Pea had wandered up behind Toni, “Tiny’s tough. This isn’t the first time she’s taken this kinda beating. We’ve all had way worse.”

Cheryl glanced up at the much taller boy. He too bore evidence of recent combat with a bruise covering his entire right cheek. The sickly greenish yellow color marred the rest of his skin and Cheryl winced inwardly at how painful it must be. No wonder Toni had been so eager to find a way out of further torment at school. If this is what it was like outside of Riverdale High then the Serpents at least deserved some peace here. Cheryl understood now the value their fake relationship had to Toni. And if she could keep the pink haired girl from suffering anymore than necessary, Cheryl was happy to keep up pretenses.

“Well, I’ve got to get to class.” she muttered hurriedly and walked quickly away from the gang members. She couldn’t stand to look at Toni’s battered face a second longer.

 

\--

 

At lunch Cheryl sat with the serpents. This was an anomaly by all counts as, despite their couples status, Riverdale’s HBIC could hardly be seen eating with her Serpent girlfriend if it meant being with the rest of the gang. Toni, of course, would never leave her pseudo brothers for any longer than she had to while at this school that was full of Northsiders. But today the redhead sat with her presumed girlfriend, holding her hand tightly, as if her presence now could somehow shield the pink haired girl from any further damage. Loosening her grip on Toni’s hand, Cheryl rose to her feet.

Toni looked up at her, puzzled. “Where you going?”

“Bathroom.” Cheryl bent to drop a quick kiss on Toni’s forehead. “I’ll be back soon.” She strode away from the table and towards the school building.

She was just finishing washing her hands when someone else entered the restroom. Cheryl turned to face the newcomer. “Josie! Hey, it’s been a while. How have you been?” She smiled at her best friend.

Josie didn’t smile back. Instead, she turned and locked the door to the bathroom. “Cheryl. We need to talk.”

“Josie what are you doing? Why are you locking the door? What’s going on?” Dread coursed through Cheryl. Josie was always so upbeat. There was no precedent for a situation like this. She would never corner anyone in a bathroom unless things were seriously bad.

“What the fuck is this?” Josie held up a sheet of paper. It was a drawing. A drawing of Josie. A drawing that had been enclosed in a red envelope not long ago. “Did you draw this?” she demanded.

“Josie….” Cheryl couldn’t come up with any words.

“Save it. What the fuck Cheryl? A fucking pigs heart?” Josie advanced on the redhead, shoving her backwards. “What’s wrong with you? Tell me it wasn’t you!”

“I can’t tell you that.” Cheryl’s voice was trembling. “But Josie–”

“Just shut up!” Josie was shouting. “If you really did all that–”

“I didn’t mean for it to go so far!” tears were sliding down Cheryl’s face. “I was facing some pretty dark demons! I was still living with my mother! I didn’t mean it Josie! I was scared and confused and didn’t know how to deal with my feelings!”

“What feelings? What kind of sick, messed up person would send a pigs heart to try and convey  _ feelings _ !”

“I liked you Josie! Look, I was struggling. I couldn’t figure out the difference between how much I valued you as a friend and my own need to find human comfort! God knows I couldn’t find any in my horrid mother! And Jason was dead!” She took a deep breath and lowered her voice “It doesn’t make up for anything I did but you have to know I didn’t mean to threaten you or make you scared in any way.”

Josie sighed. “I know Cheryl. I know you have a fucked up family. But this was too much. I can’t just forget about this. We can’t just sing a happy song and make this better.”

“Please, Josie. Please consider forgiving me. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t still my friends. Please.” Cheryl was wringing her hands together, desperate not to lose her closest friend.

“I’m not just going to stop being your friend.” Josie took on a serious tone. “But I need time. I just wanted to hear it from you.” She strode towards the exit, unlocking the door. “For what it’s worth, you’re a great artist Cheryl. Just, you need to get yourself together.”

Cheryl let out a watery laugh as the door swung closed. Turning back to the mirror, she focused on fixing her makeup. She had hoped Josie hadn’t gotten the letter. Had hoped that, perhaps, given the chaos of moving houses after her parents’ divorce that Josie would never receive the letter. That she might be spared the experience of dealing with yet another recipient.  _ Fucking Betty Cooper. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t sent those letters _ . Cheryl took a deep breath. Toni was still waiting on her to come back. Toni, whose beautiful face was marred by the recent fight. She shook her head. Face. Just face. She had no business seeing Toni as any more than just another student at Riverdale High. In any case, she had left Toni waiting and needed to get back.

Cheryl left the bathroom in a hurry and returned to the table where the Serpents were sitting. Fangs and Sweet Pea were laughing loudly and throwing chips at each other, the wide grins on their face drawing attention away from their injuries. In this moment they might just be normal teenage boys, free of any gang responsibilities. Toni was rolling her eyes at their antics while continuing to eat her apple. Cheryl slid back down into the chair next to her, reaching for the Serpent’s free hand and leaning her head on Toni’s shoulder.

The pink haired girl glanced down at her. “You’re back!” she noticed the slight redness and puffiness of Cheryl’s eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she set her apple down. “What happened? You good?”

“Fine.” Cheryl buried her face further into Toni’s neck. “Just Josie. She got the letter I sent her too.”

“Jesus. Another letter?” Toni leaned her head on top of Cheryl’s. “We can talk it out later. I’ll take you to Pop’s after school. Per your instructions, we have to be seen in public together anyways.”

“Thank you.” the murmur was barely audible, spoken softly into Toni’s ear but she heard it and smiled.

“OH MY GOD!” Jughead had arrived at the table. “What are you doing?!”

Cheryl’s head shot straight up to look at him, concerned that he had taken issue with her presence or even her interaction with Toni, but Jughead’s eyes were glued on the small food fight across the table.

“You guys are wasting perfectly good chips!” Jughead looked horrified. “Why would you use food as a weapon when you could just eat it?!”

Sweet Pea shot a smirk at Fangs. Jumping on top of his chair quickly, Sweet Pea started pelting Jughead with chips. Fangs quickly joined in,throwing his pretzels into the mix.

“Food fight!!!” Fangs crowed.

Toni burst out laughing. Jughead was desperately trying to shield himself from the oncoming barrage, as the other Serpents continued the assault. Finishing off her apple, Toni launched the core just over the top of Jughead’s head, knocking his hat right off.

“No! Not my hat!” Jughead yelled. “I can’t be seen without my hat!” He grabbed it and jammed it back onto his head, pulling it all the way down so it covered his eyes.

Cheryl couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing along with the rest of the Serpents. Toni smiled and squeezed her hand gently. Maybe the Serpents weren’t as terrible as she had thought. She was looking forward to their outing to Pop’s.

 

\--

 

The end of the day came quickly, and Cheryl stood by her car, long red hair blowing slightly in the fall breeze. She had been waiting five minutes for Toni’s arrival, and gotten bored so she was scrolling through her Instagram feed when a pair of small arms wrapped around her waist, causing her to jump.

“Hey, you.” Toni grinned up at Cheryl. “C’mon. My bike is parked a little farther over.”

“Um, we aren’t taking your motorcycle. There’s no way in hell I’m getting on that death trap.”

“Yes, you are.” Toni sighed. “I can’t really leave my bike anywhere. Odds are your Northside buddies will mess with it if I leave it here unattended.” she grabbed Cheryl’s hand and started pulling her away toward her parked bike. “I have a spare helmet and I’ll drive slower, okay?”

“Fine. But if anything happens, I’m never trusting you again.” Cheryl stated firmly. 

They reached Toni’s bike and the Serpent grabbed the two helmets, passing one to Cheryl. The redhead grimaced slightly as she donned the helmet, knowing that it would mess with her immaculately styled hair. Toni hopped onto the bike, waiting patiently as Cheryl cautiously straddled the seat behind her. As soon as she was seated, Toni kicked to motorcycle into gear, Cheryl jolting forward and wrapping her arms around the Serpents waist. The pink haired girl smirked, revved the engine, and sped out of the high school parking lot.

As promised, Toni drove slower than she might normally have done. Given how close Pop’s was, the change in speed didn’t really detract from travel time. In ten minutes, the girls had arrived. Toni parked the bike and began to walk towards the door, holding it open for Cheryl, who had stopped briefly to squint at her reflection in the window to fix her hair. The redhead led the way towards a booth in the back.

Once they had been seated and placed their orders, Toni began to speak. “So. Josie, huh?” Cheryl nodded mutely. “You wrote her a letter? Must not have been received very well.”

Cheryl sighed deeply. “No, it wasn’t. Although the letter wasn’t the only thing I sent Josie.”

“Aww, Blossom.” Toni faked a pout. “You’re making me feel neglected.”

The redhead shot her a glare across the table. “Trust me, don’t. What I did wasn’t okay. I was obsessed with her for a while. I sent her anonymous notes, that I suppose could be construed as mildly threatening. And I sent her a pig’s heart.”

“What the fuck? Like a literal pig’s heart? Why?”

“Let’s just say I don’t really know how to deal with feelings.” Cheryl pursed her lips. “There’s not a lot of love lost between me and my family. JJ was the only one who ever cared what happened to me. And he’s gone now. So I’m really not used to it. And my mother was rather, erm, homophobic, so you know. I couldn’t really express myself outside the letters.”

“Shit. All this coming from the girl who has everything.” Toni scoffed. But behind her nonchalance, the Serpent was stunned. The Blossoms always seemed like such a put together family. Cold, eerie even, but only in how they interacted with the outsiders, Toni had assumed that the family had been close in their own way. Even after Jason Blossom’s death, she had just chalked it up to a drug lord’s need to protect his empire rather than animosity between the father and son. Arguably the whole affair would have been even more tragic had Clifford Blossom cared more about his son, but from what Cheryl had said, it was unlikely that any of the family had held each other in any esteem. Well, aside from the twins.

The two girls sat in silence as Pop Tate brought their shakes and an order of fries. They sipped their drinks in silence. Toni eventually broke the conversational void. “But you were close with your brother then?”

“Yes. Very.” Cheryl sounded hollow. She took a few more fries and ate them to kill time. “Until my father killed him. In the basement of the bar over on the Southside.” she shot a look up at Toni who looked somber.

“The White Wyrm. I work there. Tending bar.”

“Did you know?” the question was sudden. Cheryl almost looked embarrassed to have asked, but she continued on. “Did you know he was down there?”

“No.” Toni’s statement was emphatic. “I didn’t know. They put the basement on lockdown and reorganized our shifts. None of the younger Serpents were allow to be on duty or downstairs through the second week of July. Only Joaquin. And that’s just cuz he happened to be there when Jason was brought in. I’m sorry. I wish I had known. I wish I could have stopped it, I could have helped him.” she reached across the table to take Cheryl’s hand. “I never wanted anyone to die. The Serpents don’t kill. It’s not our way.”

“I know. I know you wouldn’t. Thank you though.” Cheryl squeezed the pink haired girl’s hands. “You and Sweet Pea and Fangs seem like good people.”

“Thanks.”  Toni smiled sheepishly. “We try. They can be kinda dumb but they’re good people. And as long as you’re with me they’ll be there for you. Those two idiots are like my brothers. And you could use some more supportive influences.”

Cheryl chuckled weakly. “You could say that. But like brothers? Do you not have any actual siblings?”

Toni withdrew her hands and began fidgeting with her thumbs. “Uh, no. My parents didn’t even really want me so I doubt another kid would have been any better.”

“What?” Cheryl looked shocked. “What parent wouldn’t want you? You’re amazing.”

“Well, my mom wanted me. I think. My dad was a junkie, he didn’t really pay much attention to much. My mom tried to take care of me until it got bad. At that point she was hooked too and they ended up ODing when I was eight. I’ve been living with my uncle ever since. But he locks me out pretty frequently so Sweet Pea’s family took me in.”

“Toni…” Cheryl looked like she was about to cry. “That’s horrible.”

The Serpent shrugged. “It’s fine. But that’s one of the reasons we’re so close. Fangs sometimes crashes with us too. The trailer can get a bit cramped sometimes.”

“I see. I can’t imagine.”

“Well you’ve always lived in gothic mansion, the trailer park is like the opposite of that.” Toni quipped.

“I’m sorry. That was insensitive.” Cheryl frowned. “Thank you, though.”

“For what?”

“For listening to me. For sharing things about yourself. I’m not very good at letting people in. I’m just not used to it. I’m not good at caring about people, I usually push them away instead of telling anyone anything.”

“So why tell me?” Toni smirked.

“Because this isn’t real.” Cheryl said simply. “You’re stuck with me, and there’s no point in spending so much time together if we don’t know anything about each other.”

“Right, right.” Toni glanced away from Cheryl. “You’re right. This isn’t real.” she looked back up at the redhead. “But even so, I think you owe me for last time, so you’re totally paying for the food.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes. “Fine. I suppose you’re right”

She paid the bill as promised and followed Toni out to her bike. They headed back to the school, this time at well above the speed limit since Cheryl, now used to the bike, kept muttering “Faster” into Toni’s ear, and the Serpent was only too happy to comply. The parking lot of the high school was empty now, aside from the bright red car.

Cheryl got of the bike and handed her helmet back to Toni. “Thanks for the ride. And Pop’s wasn’t completely horrible.”

“No problem, Blossom.” Toni smiled lopsidedly. “I do have one thing to ask though.”

“What?”

“Well, and feel free to veto, I know it might be rough after the whole thing with your brother, I wanted to take you to the Southside. The Wyrm. I went to your football party, so it’s time for you to spend some time on the Serpent side of things. But if it’s too much…”

Cheryl closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly. “Will the boys be there?”

“Yeah, of course. Friday night is pool night. They’ll have their weekly game, Sweet Pea’s leading 47-29 at the moment, but Fang’s has won the last three. If you come too we can play teams. And Jughead will keep a constant supply of food around, though he’ll probably eat most of it himself.” Toni smiled softly at Cheryl. “It’s at the Wyrm, so I get it if you don’t want to come. But we’d love to have you, and I think you’d have fun.”

Cheryl nodded. “I’ll come.” 

The statement was quiet, barely audible, but Toni heard nonetheless and her face split into an even wider grin. “Awesome! I’ll see you on Friday then.”

“Yes definitely.” Cheryl smiled. “I’ll see you later Cha-Cha.” She leaned in and dropped a quick kiss to Toni’s cheek before strutting off to her car.

As the red Impala drove away, Toni realized that no one was around to see if they were behaving as a couple. She smirked again as she kicked her bike back into gear. This arrangement might not be as bad as she thought. 


	7. Games and Gangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni takes Cheryl to visit the Wyrm

Friday came much quicker than Cheryl would have liked. The pent up anxiety associated with visiting the Southside and even more specifically the last spot Jason was alive had become overwhelming over the course of the week. She knew that Toni wouldn’t try and force her to go if she changed her mind, but she was determined to make good on the agreement she signed onto. She had said she would accompany Toni to the Southside so she would. 

Cheryl sighed as she paced across the living room of Thistlehouse, glancing up at the clock every so often, watching the hands tick away. She hadn’t wanted to drive her convertable out the Wyrm, so Toni had agreed to pick her up on the bike at 8:00. It was 7:50, and Cheryl was counting every minute. She stopped her pacing to stand in front of the mirror. She didn’t want to stand out too much in the middle of a gang’s bar, so she had opted for black skintight jeans and a dark red velvet cropped tank with a pair of stilettos. She was still, of course, wearing her iconic red lipstick. Focusing on her reflection, Cheryl fixed her hair for what must have been the tenth time that night, then glanced back at the clock. 7:53. Toni still wasn’t here. She resumed her pacing, even more anxiously. Had the Serpent forgotten? Did she misremember the time? Was Toni just bailing on her? Did she decide their fake relationship wasn’t worth her time? Did she not want to spend time with Cheryl? The redhead shook her head to clear it. Why did that last thought bother her? She took a deep breath. It was fine, it was only 7:55. And it wouldn’t really matter, would it, if Toni was slightly later than expected.

The rumble of a motorcycle on the road caused Cheryl’s ears to perk up. She glanced over at the clock. 7:56. Toni was early. Not by much, but she was early. She hadn’t forgotten. Cheryl let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and fixed her hair one last time. A loud knock came from the door and Cheryl paused before walking over to open it. She didn’t need Toni knowing that she had been waiting in the living room anxiously for fifteen minutes. She pulled the door open, revealing the pink haired serpent on her doorstep, smiling up at her.

“So, Bombshell,” Toni dropped her voice dramatically, “Are you ready for a night on the Southside?”

Cheryl rolled her eyes “Of course I am. I lived with a murderer for months didn’t I. And I burned down a house. Who knows, I might even fit in.”

Toni quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, really? And here I thought you never wanted any marginally close comparison to us big bad gang members.”

“Whatever, Cha-Cha.” the redhead strode past the Serpent, pulling the door closed behind her and strutting towards the bike. “Are we going or what?” she called over her shoulder.

Toni smirked and returned to her motorcycle, passing Cheryl the spare helmet. Revving the engine a few times, Toni kicked off and peeled out of Thistlehouse’s driveway, feeling Cheryl wind her arms around her waist, holding tight. 

Within ten minutes they had pulled into the parking lot of the White Wyrm. Never having been there before, Cheryl had no idea what to expect. She didn’t exactly think it would be a classy establishment given that it was run by a gang, but with all the motorcycles lined up outside and the dirty bricks, it looked a lot seedier than she had been anticipating. Maybe it was the fact that it was dark out, but it didn’t seem like a welcoming place. Even the awning looked ominous with the snake emblazoned across it. It looked ready to swallow her whole.

“You alright, Blossom?” Toni’s voice sounded concerned. “You’re just standing there. You know we don’t have to stay here if you’re uncomfortable.”

Cheryl snapped out of her thoughts “ Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’m coming.” She blinked once, took a deep breath and followed Toni as she walked forward.

The shorter girl reached out and grabbed her hand, guiding her through the bikes parked haphazardly across the lot. “Here’s Sweet Pea’s,” she said tapping one as they passed. “Wait a sec.” she dropped Cheryl’s hand and bent down to the bike, fiddling with the adjustments and taking a small silver dog out of a rip in the back of the seat and shoving it in her pocket. Taking the redhead’s hand, Toni continued to walk towards the bar.

“What was that?”

Toni chuckled lightly. “It’s just a running thing we do. Me, Sweets, Fangs, and I guess Jug now. Bikes are really important to our gang so we mess with each other’s when we get the chance. See this?” she pulled the dog out of her pocket. “It’s an old Monopoly piece. We don’t actually know how to play. So the way our game works is you can only mess with whoever has the dog and you have to take the dog if you mess with someone. And you don’t want to be seen. And no one really knows who has it. So don’t tell the guys I took this.”

“That sounds weirdly complicated. But I guess it’s nice that you have your own little game. And don’t worry, I won’t tell”

Toni smiled, “That’s my girl!”

They had reached the entrance. Toni pulled the door open and the pair entered. The lighting was dim and the whole place smelled like stale smoke and beer but the atmosphere of the place was lively. Cheryl looked around trying to take it all in. A faint haze of smoke blurred some of the edges of the room from her field of vision but she could see that the everyone in the bar had a level of comfort and normalcy. There were a group of mid twenties men sitting around a table playing poker, one of them clearly better than the rest if the stack of chips in front of him was anything to judge by. A young woman was playing darts with what had to be her boyfriend based on the way they started making out after she hit a bullseye. Many more groups were clustered around tables, drinking, laughing, and chatting. Over at the bar some of the older men, clearly the gang leaders, sat talking in hushed voices. There was one constant amongst all these people: the gang. Serpents stared from the backs of leather jackets sported by each and every person in the bar, making Cheryl feel suddenly uncomfortable to not be wearing a leather jacket of her own. She scanned the area again, this time trying to find  the two boys she and Toni had come to meet. She couldn’t see them anywhere.

“That’s four in a row Pea, suck my dick!” 

The shout had come from the back corner of the bar that Cheryl must have glanced over in her previous perusal of the room. There they stood, Sweet Pea with his head thrown back and groaning and Fangs whooping with a huge grin plastered across his face. Toni’s face broke into a smile, and she made her way over to the boys, dragging the redhead along behind her. 

“Listen,” Sweet Pea scowled at Fangs “it’s still only 47-30.”

“Awwww, it’s okay buddy.” Fangs patted the taller boy on the head. “I’m sure you’ll get back on a winning streak. Or at least a winning game.”

“Did Fangs win again?” Toni approached the boys.

“Tiny!! You made it!” Fangs beamed at the shorter girl and wrapped her into a bear hug. “I beat Pea! Again! I think he’s forgotten how to win. Lemme tell you what happened….”

Fangs started to give Toni a blow by blow recap of his game, which Cheryl could not have been less interested in. Sweet Pea nudged her shoulder. “Didn’t think you’d come, Red. Thought we were all Southside scum.”

Cheryl blushed a little at that “Well– I – um, you guys aren’t so bad, and, uh, Toni invited me so I thought….”

Sweet Pea’s stoic face broke a little into a smirk. “Well, since you’re here, care for a game?” he offered her a cue. “After losing to Fangs, I could do with winning a game.”

“And what makes you think I’ll lose, String Bean?” Cheryl raised an eyebrow.

Toni had finally finished listening to Fangs’ victory report and had caught the last of the exchange “Cher, Sweets is  _ really _ good. I don’t think I’ve beaten him more than a few times.”

With that, Cheryl flipped her hair and snatched the cue from Sweet Pea’s hand. “In that case, watch and learn, Cha-Cha.” she strutted over to stand behind the table next to the tall Serpent. “You break, Peapod.”

“It’s on.” Sweet Pea began gathering the balls into the triangular frame.

“This should be fun.” Toni watched as her best friend prepared to face her fake girlfriend. “Fangs, could you grab some drinks?”

“Sure thing, Tiny!” Fangs wandered off towards the bar.

A  _ clack _ rang out and Toni turned to face the pool table again just in time to see all 15 balls spinning across the green felt. 

“Well, Red. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes at Sweet Pea before bending low over the table, focusing on the white ball resting just left of the center. She pulled back the cue and struck the ball, causing a ricochet of the wall in to the 4-ball which hit the 13, sinking it. She straightened up, and looked at Sweet Pea. “Guess I’m stripes.” she stated before walking around the table to get a better angle. She deftly sunk the 10 before hopping up onto the ledge of the table, one foot still on the ground, and sunk the 12. Unfortunately, the cue ball slid in after it. She picked it out of the pocket and walked over and handed it to Sweet Pea. “Damn, I thought I hit it light enough. Your move.”

Sweet Pea stood dumbfounded, clearly not expecting the spoiled Northside princess to have any skill that would be relevant to a seedy bar. He shook his head to clear it before placing the cue ball on the table and lining up his shot. He hit the ball aggressively, causing the 3 to sink in the back pocket and the cue ball to bounce back and knock the 2 in the side. He surveyed the table. “Fuck….” he muttered. His last shot left him in no position to sink any solids. Instead he took a calculated shot that left the white ball sat squarely between two solids against the back wall. He smirked over at Cheryl.

Tossing her hair back, she aimed carefully, lining up the shot perfectly. The cue ball hit the side wall, rolling slowly away and gently tapping the 14 into the pocket. Sweet Pea groaned behind her as she quickly sunk the 9. In a similar position to Sweet Pea before, and hit the ball into a defensive spot. It only took three more turns before Sweet Pea was down to the 5, while Cheryl was getting ready to try for the 8.

“The…. middle right,” she pointed, calling the pocket.

“Okay, you’re good Blossom, but not even I could make that shot.” Sweet Pea nodded towards the 8-ball, which was sitting about four inches off the center of the back wall.

The redhead scoffed. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not you then.”

She lined up her shot, and exhaled slowly. She hit the cue ball harder than she had all game causing it to bounce off the left wall and hit the wall just behind the black ball, colliding with it. The 8-ball spun out slowly, rolling right into the mid-right pocket in front of Sweet Pea’s shocked face. “I guess that’s game. Better luck next time, String Bean.”

Fangs laughed gleefully, punching Sweet Pea lightly in the shoulder. “You lost again man!” He glanced over at Cheryl “Awesome job, Red! Didn’t think you’d have it in ya!”

Cheryl turned around to face Toni who was smirking up at her. The pink haired Serpent reached up and wrapped her hands around her neck, pulling her down for a deep kiss. Cheryl smiled against her lips, more comfortable here amongst the Serpent teens with the boys teasing each other and Toni at her side than she had ever felt inside the walls of Thornhill or Thistlehouse. The shorter girl pulled away, and grinned warmly. “Great game, babe. Sweets is never gonna live down losing to the HBIC of Riverdale High.”

Cheryl chuckled lightly and slid her hand back into Toni’s.

“Fangs! I demand a rematch! I can’t lose every game tonight!” Sweet Pea was saying loudly re-racking the balls, face slightly red from the embarrassment of losing to Cheryl Blossom.

“Come sit down, Blossom.” Toni pulled her over to a high table a few feet from the pool table where Fangs was preparing to break. “I had Fangs grab us drinks since I thought you’d be exhausted after absolutely destroying Sweets.”

Cheryl picked up the drink Toni was indicating. Cherry cola. She had picked out Cheryl’s favorite drink. The redhead sipped the soda in silence for a minute as she watch the boys continue to play, laughing along with Toni as Sweet Pea stuck straws in his mouth and made weird faces to distract Fangs and mess up his shots.

“Are they always like this?” she finally asked Toni.

“The guys? Yeah, I mean they’ve known each other forever and with how messed up everything is in this world they can only really be kids around each other. Here.”

“They live in the trailer park too?”

“Yeah. Fangs lives with his mom and little sister. And Sweet Pea lives with his little brothers. His dad is away on Serpent business most of the time so Sweets does his best to take care of them. He puts on a tough face but around them…. And he’s always letting me stay over when I’m locked out.”

Cheryl looked back at the two boys smiling and laughing. Looking at them, you wouldn’t know what was going on outside of this pure, unadulterated joy. If it weren’t for the tattoos and jackets you wouldn’t even know they were part of a gang. Just two teenagers, enjoying a Friday night. Here, home life didn’t matter. This place, this gang was their home. There were no dead brothers, murderous fathers, or abusive mothers. 

She was broken out of her reverie by Sweet Pea’s triumphant cheering.

“48-30! I’m back baby!”

Toni slid off her chair and walked over to tease Sweet Pea, leaving Cheryl sitting at the table. Toni’s face was lit up in a smile as Sweet Pea picked her up in a hug a swung her in a circle, Fangs jumping back laughing as he dodged Toni’s outstretched legs.

“Red!” Sweet Pea called out, still holding Toni a few inches in the air “We’re gonna go play cards over there, you’re coming right?”

Cheryl hopped off her chair, and in a few paces had joined the teenage trio. Fangs slung an arm around her as they walked over to an empty table. “C’mon Blossom, let’s see if your poker skills match your pool ability.”

 

\--

 

“Not again!” Toni groaned, throwing down her cards. “This is getting ridiculous!”

Five hands into their game, Cheryl and Sweet Pea were once again in a staredown. Three of the last four games had ended with them sitting, eyes locked, each steadily raising the bet, stubbornly unwilling to call. Cheryl had one the first hand, and Toni had somehow gotten a full house the second, but Sweet Pea had won the last two hands which brought them to now, with the two bull headed teens refusing to back down.

“I’ll see your 5, and raise you 10.” Sweet Pea threw two chips into the middle of the table, never breaking eye contact.

“I’m all in, bitch.”

“Fuck, it. Why not?”

The pile of chips on the table doubled in seconds and the cards were down. Sweet Pea turned over two jacks and two aces, along with the king of clubs. Cheryl laid down two queens and two fours.

“Looks like I win Blossom.” Sweet Pea reached forward to pull the chips towards him.

“Not quite.” Cheryl turned over her last remaining card. The Queen of Hearts. “Full. House.”

“Twice in a night!” Fangs thumped Sweet Pea hard on the back as the taller boy scowled. “You just can’t beat Blossom!”

Cheryl turned to look at Toni and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Toni giggled and reached down to take her hand again.

“Tiny,” Sweet Pea said seriously. “Next time you bring home a girl, make sure it’s one who isn’t gonna beat my ass at everything I do.”

“I don’t know, Pea.” Toni squeezed Cheryl’s hand in hers. “I kinda like this one.”

“Hey, guys. Check it. Jug’s back.” Fangs nudged Sweet Pea’s shoulder and nodded his head towards a figure who had just slipped into the bar. They could just make out his grey beanie across the room as it neared the bar where the older serpents had been talking all evening.

Cheryl didn’t know what it was but the tone shifted. The smile slowly fell from her face, as she looked on the suddenly serious faces of her three companions. “What’s the matter? Where was Jughead.”

“On a stakeout. In Ghoulie territory.” Sweet Pea’s face was back to it normal stoney expression.

“If he’s back this early, it can’t be good.” Fangs filled in. “He was supposed to be posted til two. It’s only a quarter to midnight.”

“Shut up. FP’s coming over.” Toni elbowed Fangs. 

The weary king of the serpents stopped at their table, towering over the teens. “Jug brought back some bad news. The Ghoulies are planning a strike. Thirty minutes past midnight on our turf. I need you guys to get back to Sunnyside. The older guys are gonna go rumble, but there’s a strong chance they’ll send a team to the trailer park. You need to be there. Keep our homes safe. I’ll send Hawk and his boy along with Rainy’s group.” he turned to look at Toni in particular. “Get Cheryl home. She doesn’t need to be around this. She’s had enough trouble from our gang. Now go.”

Toni shot to her feet instantly. Yanking Cheryl after her as she walked as quickly as she could towards the exit. Cheryl looked back to see Fangs and Sweet Pea getting up to follow as FP turned to talk to another cluster of teens.

“Shit!” Toni muttered under her breath. They were outside, moving quickly towards her bike. “Of all the nights for this to happen. I have to get you back to Thistlehouse.”

As they peeled out of the parking lot at topspeed, Cheryl heard Sweet Pea’s frustrated exclamation from the lot. She grinned as she remembered the monopoly piece Toni had taken from the bike mere hours before. She dropped the smile quickly as she remembered why they were racing thirty mile over the speed limit back to her home. Remembered that the boys were in a gang that meant danger as well as family. Remembered that Toni was about to go put herself at risk to protect the kids at the trailer park. 

In five minutes they were in front of Thistlehouse. Cheryl jumped off the bike, and turned to face the pink haired girl who was turning the bike back around. “Toni, I – thanks. For letting me come to the Wyrm. I know its a Serpent place, but I– I had fun.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Toni sounded agitated. “I don’t have time to talk Cheryl, I need to get back. Jug could have gotten the time wrong and I have to be there.”

She kicked off again and sped back into the night, leaving Cheryl staring down the drive, watching the taillight grow rapidly smaller in the distance.

“Be safe.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, idk about you guys but i super headcanon cheryl and sweet pea as being really stubborn and competitive with each other. like toni and fangs are more mellow energies but cher and sp just have an intense vibe and they have stupid outlets like playing games and stuff


	8. Bloodbath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get into a fight D: maybe two. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is a bit longer than usual. there was a lot to get through. also i use the word 'ghoulie' like a bajillion times because i didn't want to give any of them names lol

Toni sped back to the trailer park as quick as she could. She needed to make it back before any Ghoulies arrived at Sunnyside. Their families, their homes were there and she couldn’t let the Serpents lose any more than they already had. She couldn’t believe the Ghoulies  had tried something tonight of all nights. Cheryl had been on the Southside. If they had attacked earlier she could have gotten hurt. And if that happened… well, all the redhead’s assumptions and biases about the Serpents would be proven right. And she had seemed to be enjoying the Southside….

“FUCK!” Toni screamed into the air, her voice drowned out by the bike and lost to the wind as she sped up even more. She absolutely had to make it back. Sweet Pea and Fangs were already there, and if the boys got hurt without her there, Toni would never forgive herself.

The trailer park was dead quiet when she arrived, her bike being the only noise audible. She skidded to a stop, leaving the motorcycle near the entrance where a dozen other bikes were parked. Leaping off of her bike, she let out a loud whisper. “ _ Pea! Fangs!” _

“ _ Tiny!” _ it was Fangs. “ _ Get over here. _ ”

Toni rushed over the where the boys were crouched, just out of sight in the shadows. “Has anything happened yet?”

“No.” It was Sweet Pea who responded. “But it’s not that late yet.”

“We’re pretty sure they’ll come.” Fangs muttered darkly. “After Jug and I got jumped last week, they’ve only gotten more aggressive about invading our turf.”

“We think they’re getting ready for something big.” Sweet Pea growled.

There was a thud next to them, causing Toni to jump. Jughead had jumped off the roof of the trailer and landed next to them.

“They’re coming.” his voice trembled slightly. “I saw headlights, about ten. Dad was right, they’re only sending a small party to attack the trailer park.”

Toni glanced up, she could see and headlights quite yet. But she knew Jug could see a lot farther from on top of the trailer. She slowly balled her left hand into a fist and pulled out a pocket knife with her right, flicking it open in anticipation. Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead mirrored her actions, with Sweet Pea sliding on brass knuckles for good measure.

Pinpricks of light began appearing in the distance and faint howls began echoing towards the park. The Ghoulies were coming. Toni steeled herself, thinking of those still inside their trailers. Fangs’ mom, who was probably comforting his younger sister. Sweet Pea’s little brother, who were likely cowering under a blanket together while their older brother got ready to fight. Her own grandfather, weary from all this conflict, knowing that she, Toni, was about to risk her own safety for the sake of the Serpents.

The Ghoulies caravan pulled up, cars and bikes bringing about fifteen gang members to the trailer park. Toni scanned their faces quickly. Malachai, their leader, wasn’t there. He must have led the main attack on the Wyrm. The Ghoulie that appeared to be in charge turned to his fellows.

“Remember, we’re just here to rough up the park a little. If any one tries to stop us, don’t hold back.”

With renewed whoops and howls, the Ghoulies scattered and began running through the park, swinging bats and dragging blades against the sides of the first few trailers they encountered. Sweet Pea stood jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, back against the trailer, listening carefully to the screeching sound of a knife being dragged along the trailer they were hiding behind. “1… 2… 3!” He whirled around, swinging his fist, hitting the Ghoulie squaring in the nose with his brass knuckles. There was an audible snap and a gush of blood as the Ghoulie went down, out cold, only to receive a kick to the gut from Sweet Pea for good measure.

“IN UNITY, THERE IS STRENGTH!” he bellowed at the top of his voice, and the rest of the concealed Serpents joined the fray. 

The Ghoulies halted their attack on the trailers and focused their attention to the small groups of Serpents who had stood to fight. There were about four groups of three or four Serpents scattered throughout the park, just barely outnumbered by a few Ghoulies. They could do this. Toni was standing with back to Jughead, Fangs and Sweet Pea at her sides. There were five Ghoulies around them. She took a deep breath and gripped her knife tighter. 

Sweet Pea, already riled up after punching the first Ghoulie, struck first. He lunged at the one nearest to him, yanking him forward and kneeing him in the gut. Another Ghoulie came to help his fellow but Toni sprang into action first, jumping forward and kicking her leg out, causing the Ghoulie to fall. She followed it  up by cutting her knife into his forearm, slicing a gash from wrist to elbow. He wouldn’t be able to attack anyone very well with that wound. 

“Tiny! Behind you!”

She heard Fangs’ cry just in time, and whirled around in time to see another Ghoulies. It wasn’t soon enough. The offending gang member tackled her to the ground, and wrapped his hands around her throat. Fumbling with her knife, seeing stars, Toni blindly stabbed the blade upwards, hitting the Ghoulie just under his ribcage. Howling in pain, the man released Toni, and she kicked him off, scrambling to her feet. Sweet Pea had finished his scuffle with his first opponent and turned to help Toni. As she regained her ability to breathe freely, the taller boy kicked the Ghoulie as hard as he could, right in the chest. There were several snapping noises. He had broken more than a few ribs.

“Retreat!” the call came from the distance, where another group of Serpents had undoubtedly emerged victorious. The Ghoulies began to flee haphazardly, though the one Toni and Sweet Pea had taken down didn’t move an inch. One of his fellows hoisted him to his feet and supported him as they made their getaway. It was a sickening sight as the limp Ghoulie was pitched unceremoniously into the back of a car, head flopping to the side limply before the door closed. 

Panting, Sweet Pea turned to the other three Serpents. “Well, we won.”

Fangs nodded solemnly, blood flowing freely from a cut above his left eye. “We should wait. Until the others get back from the Wyrm.”

“Agreed.” Jughead said, pulling his beanie back onto his head. He turned to Toni. “Tiny, did Cheryl get back okay? I’m sorry we ruined your date night or whatever. Toni?”

Toni was staring at the spot where the Ghoulies’ cars had pulled away minutes before. Snapping out of her trance she turned to face the boys. “Yeah, yeah. Cheryl’s fine.” she looked up at the tallest of the trio, face pale. “Sweets, I think we might have killed that guy.”

 

\--

 

Monday arrived, bringing with it the oppression and boredom of another school day. For the majority of students at Riverdale High, the return to school was a miserable affair, generally dreaded as soon as Sunday started. Today, however, Cheryl Blossom was anxiously awaiting the start of the academic week. She hadn’t heard from Toni since Friday night when the Serpent had dropped her off at Thistlehouse. Despite all her criticisms of the gang, she had grown fond of the younger Serpents with whom she had begun spending more time and was therefore worried about the outcome of Friday night’s brawl. 

Cheryl got to school early on Monday, not wanting to miss the arrival of the Serpents. Unsurprisingly, the parking lot was empty when she pulled into her usual spot. The autumn air had grown chilly over the past few months so rather than wait outside in a parking lot so clearly devoid of motorcycles, Cheryl made her way inside the building, choosing to wait in an empty classroom near a window that had an excellent vantage point to see when the Serpents arrived.

It wasn’t until ten minutes before school was scheduled to start that the four motorcycles rumbled into the parking lot. Cheryl could make out the four figures clustering around their bike, double checked to make sure she could see distinctive pink dyed hair, and hurried back out to the parking lot.

The Serpents were huddled together, talking nervously and in hushed voices when Cheryl called out. “Morning, Toni!” she strolled closer to the group as Toni turned around and the boys looked up. Their faces were somber and ashen, clearly discussing serious matters. Jughead had bruise on his cheekbone, the gash through Fangs’ eyebrow was scabbed, and bruises on Toni’s neck from where she had been choked were still visible through the several necklaces she was wearing. Sweet Pea looked unscathed. Cheryl hugged Toni close, the Serpent responding a bit stiffly. “Glad to see you all made it out okay. What happened? Clearly they hit Sunnyside but did they attack the Wyrm too?”

Toni extricated herself from Cheryl’s embrace. Her response was tense “Yeah. The Ghoulies came by Sunnyside but we won the fight. The Wyrm got hit too but aside from a few broken windows and a couple trashed bike everything’s fine. It’s just that–”

“Tiny!” Sweet Pea interrupted, shooting Toni a glare. Toni nodded and fell silent, moving back to the boys and away from Cheryl.

“What’s the matter?” Cheryl’s voice was laced with concern. “What is it?”

Jughead glanced at Sweet Pea, then sighed. “School’s about to start, we should go in before we’re late.” With that, he walked quickly towards the building, shortly followed by Sweet Pea, Toni, and lastly Fangs, leaving Cheryl alone in the parking lot wondering what the hell was going on.

The Serpents reconvened at their usual lunch table in the corner of the quad. The days had gotten colder but the leather jackets the gang members wore 24/7 kept out the chill. Sweet Pea was the last to arrive, having very nearly been accosted by Reggie Mantle in the cafeteria before Toni had swooped in and dragged him away. Throwing himself down in the nearest chair, he directed his first words at Jughead. “Any update?”

Jughead sighed and buried his face in his hands. “Nothing yet. My dad’s been in touch with our contact at the hospital all day. The Ghoulie went in for a second round of surgery this morning. They had to wait til he was stable to bring him back for another operation.”

Toni pushed her tray of whatever tasteless mush the cafeteria had served away from her. “Oh, god. Did he really need two whole surgeries? Is he even going to be alright after?”

“It doesn’t matter, Tiny!” Sweet Pea stated aggressively. “He knew what he was getting into when he attacked the trailer park.”

“I know, Sweets! But his whole family is going to be in debt forever. And the least the doctors could do is make sure there aren’t like, ongoing complications.” Toni’s eyes looked pained.

“And if he isn’t,” Fangs began darkly, “they’re going to want revenge.” he looked straight at Sweet Pea. “I mean, what would you do if it were Jug or Tiny or me?”

Sweet Pea ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Fuck. What did we do?”

Toni sighed. “This is why Serpents never kill. That’s, like, an unspoken rule. My grandfather wouldn’t have wanted this. He founded the Serpents to create a family to keep people safe, not kill people.” she glanced down at her food again. “Ugh, I can’t eat. Jug, seriously, is he going to be alright?”

Jughead looked up at Toni. “I don’t know. From what my dad has said, they managed to get all of the splintered bones out of his lungs during the first surgery, though he might have breathing problems later on. Today’s operation is supposed to fix the lacerations to his spleen and kidney. If that goes well, he should be fine. Though, having just the one kidney might also be a problem.” he looked helplessly at Toni. “I really don’t know, Tiny. I really don’t”

Toni slumped forward onto the table with a groan as Sweet Pea started stabbing his food with unnecessary ferocity beside her. It was at that point that she heard a voice behind her sounding far too bright for her present circumstance. “Cha-Cha! I haven’t seen you since this morning! How’s your day been?”

Cheryl dropped down in the seat to Toni’s right and looked expectantly at her for a reply. Getting no response, she again prompted Toni with the same thing she had asked that morning. “Are you alright? What happened Friday night? Is something wrong?”

Toni lifted her head and forced herself to smile up at the redhead. She wasn’t about to let Cheryl get involved with Serpent business. They might have gotten closer as a result of their little arrangement but the Blossom girl shouldn’t have to get mixed up in gang troubles on top of her already messed up family. “I’m fine Cheryl, really. There’s just a lot going on with the Serpents right now. We’re all just a little worn out and on edge after Friday night. It’s nothing to worry about, really.”

Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows, clearly not buying into Toni’s nonchalance. “Alright, TT. But at least eat something, you haven’t touched your lunch at all.”

“I’m not hungry, Cher. Just tired. Seriously, don’t worry about me.” Toni twisted in her chair, laying down so that her head rested in Cheryl’s lap and her legs were draped over Sweet Pea’s. “Listen, I’m going to rest. Let me know when it’s time for class.”

The lunch hour wore on in silence, the Serpents not wanting to say anything about the hospitalized Ghoulie but not being able to think of anything else. Cheryl, on the other hand, was simply confused as to what was going on in the gang. And, despite Toni’s repeated statements, Cheryl was worried.

She continued to be worry for days as the group of Serpents maintained their murmured huddles and somber attitudes. The tension in the four gang members was palpable, though they would still reliably fall silent whenever Cheryl was around. It frustrated her beyond belief considering she had thought they were coming to be friends. Instead, she simply remained worried on her own. By Friday, she had made up her mind to force the answer out of one of the Serpents, probably Fangs. However, upon her arrival at school there was one very obvious flaw in her plan. The Serpents weren’t there. At first, Cheryl assumed they were running late or had decided to skip first period, but it soon became apparent by the lack of leather jackets or general chaos between them and the Bulldogs that they were simply not there.

After seeing not a single gang member all day and receiving no word from any Serpent, Cheryl decided it was time for desperate measures. Though usually not a reliable source of any form of knowledge, it seemed possible that Archie Andrews might know something of the Serpents’, or at least Jughead’s, whereabouts given how close the two boys were. It was for that reason that the redhead found herself seated at a table with Archie, Veronica, Josie, Betty, and Kevin. As she sat down, Cheryl inadvertently locked eyes with Veronica who held her gaze steadily before Cheryl broke their eye contact and turned to Archie.

“Archibald, much as it pains me to say this, I need your help.” Cheryl folded her hands on the table. “Though your intellect is rather lacking on most counts, I believe you may be privy to certain knowledge that I would very much like to be made aware.”

Archie rolled his eyes at Betty but faced Cheryl with a grin. “Ignoring that dig at my brainpower, sure, I’ll help. What do you need to know, Cheryl?”

“It’s about the Serpents.” she stated firmly, growing more alarmed as Archie’s face fell. “Listen, they aren’t here today and they’ve been on edge all week. Toni’s barely talking to me–”

“Trouble in paradise, huh?” Veronica interjected with a smirk. “Everything alright between you two?”

“We’re  _ fine _ .” Cheryl shot the other girl an icy glare. “As I was saying, Toni’s barely talking to me  _ about their fight _ .” she emphasized the last few words with another look at Veronica. “They got into a bit of a brawl with the other gang last week, the Ghosties–”

“Ghoulies.” Betty corrected.

The look Cheryl gave her dripped with venom. “ _ Ghoulies _ . Right, thank you Little Ms. Know-it-all.” turning back to Archie she went on at a faster pace, not wanting to be interrupted again. “After their fight, they’ve been unusually quiet, not picking fights with Reggies and them or anything. And today they’re not at school. Do you have any idea why that might be?” she finished, looking desperately at Archie.

“Um, Cheryl,” Archie’s voice sounded grave. “Can I talk to you privately.” he stood and gestured towards a tree a little ways away from their table. Cheryl nodded and the pair walked over until they were out of earshot from the other four. 

“So what is it?” Cheryl pressed. “Do you know something?”

Archie sighed. “Only a little bit. Jug talked to me a bit last night, and he sounded really afraid. He said that if someone didn’t wake up, something big was going down tonight. Like, a gang showdown.”

“Oh,god.” Cheryl groaned, raising a hand to her mouth.

The redheaded boy nodded. “From the way you made it seem, something happened at that fight last week. Someone is hurt or won’t wake up.”

“Do you know if it’s a Serpent?” Cheryl asked worriedly, she knew how much the gang meant to Toni. And to the boys. They were a family.

Archie shook his head. “I don’t know. But it sounds like someone from one gang really hurt someone else and whoever’s gang got hurt is out for revenge.” His voice softened. “Cheryl, are you okay? I don’t know if you should be getting mixed up with these people. They seem kinda dangerous.”

Cheryl’s eyes blazed with fury. “ _ These people? _ What do you mean by that, Archibald? They are wonderful people. Just because they haven’t had everything in life handed to them, just because they don’t have a dad who will get them out of any fucking situation, just because they have to join a gang to even have a shot of safety or belonging on the Southside, doesn’t mean they’re not worth knowing! I’m happier with them now than I ever was with any of you over past, oh I don’t know, sixteen fucking years of my life!” she turned on her heel, and stormed back to the table, grabbing her bag and returning to the building in a hurry.

“Wait, Cheryl!” it was Veronica, heels clicking on the pavement behind her. “Cheryl, are you okay! I know you’re worried about Toni but I’m sure she’s fine!”

Cheryl spun to face the darker haired girl. “I’m fine Veronica! But you’re wrong. Toni isn’t! She’s not fine, she’s preparing for war! No, if you’ll excuse me, I have to try and figure out where the hell my girlfriend is!”

Cheryl whipped around to continue walking away from the quad, her feet carrying her back to the parking lot and into her cherry red convertible. She pulled out her phone, pausing to stare at the lock screen. The photo of Toni kissing her cheek lightly, drawing a smile from red painted lips glowed back at her. Unlocking her phone hurriedly, she tapped out a message to Toni.

 

**[12:34]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Toni, where are you? Are you at the Wyrm?**

**[1:06]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Seriously. I talked to Archie, he said you guys were going to be in some big fight. I’m worried about you.**

 

**[1:53]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Are you really going to fight the Ghoulies? You’re a teenager, you’re in high school you’re too young for this**

 

**[3:27]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Look, I’m sorry about saying you’re too young, I know you’re a Serpent. But you don’t need to get involved in a huge fight. Isn’t there some other way to handle this? Surely Jug can think of something**

 

**[5:00]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Okay, this isn’t funny. Please respond. I need to know you’re safe**

 

**[6:58]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : TT please text me back. Are you safe? Are the boys with you?**

 

**[9:34]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Cha-cha I have no idea why you aren’t responding, I just need to hear something from you.**

 

**[11:21]**

**CherryBombshell <3 : Please, Toni, please please let me know you’re safe. You need to let me know that you and the boys are okay, Toni I’m so worried**

 

Toni glanced down as her phone buzzed again.

“Red still worried about you?” Fangs asked.

Toni nodded, “And about you guys. God, Fangs, should I have told her? You know Cheryl, she’d probably try and get involved, and we can’t have that. It’d just put her in danger.”

Fangs wrapped an arm around her. “It’s okay. Just let her know you’re safe and that you’re with us. That much is probably safe. She doesn’t know where we are so she can’t get involved. But Tiny, it’s natural for her to be worried. You guys are dating after all.”

Toni stares up at Fangs for a moment, wanting to tell him the truth, that it’s all fake, that Cheryl’s only doing this to avoid problems with Veronica, that she’s only doing this to get into fewer fights at school. But she can’t. “Yeah. I’ll let her know.” Sliding her phone open, Toni taps out a response.

 

**TT <3 : Cher, I’m so sorry I worried you. I’m with the boys, we’re safe. The fight hasn’t started yet. We’re all going to fight, though. No Serpent stands alone. But I promise you that I’ll come out safe. I’ll come back to you. I promise.**

 

She jammed her phone back into her pocket and sighed. “Okay. She knows we’re alright.”

“Good.” Sweet Pea had walked up next to them, followed by Jughead. “It’s time to go. They’re here.”

Sure enough, the bloodthirsty howls of the Ghoulies could be heard across the park. They had decided on this as their battleground. A park a half mile from Sunnyside, with an open area. This would be the clash between the Southside gangs.

Toni looked over at Jughead. “He really didn’t wake up then.” her voice trembled with guilt.

Jughead met her gaze sympathetically. “Not yet. He’s not dead though. They’re the ones who set this ultimatum.”

“We beat them once, we’ll do it again.” Sweet Pea said gruffly, donning his brass knuckles once again.

Toni nodded and steeled herself, ignoring the buzz of her phone that signaled another message from Cheryl.

 

**CherryBombshell <3 : You’d better come back. I can’t lose you.**

 

FP, Tall Boy, and Hog Eye were at the front of the mass of Serpents, facing the oncoming horde of Ghoulies led by Malachai, less than 100 yards away. Raising his right hand the the two fingered fanged salute, FP shouted to signal the start of the fight. “IN UNITY, THERE IS STRENGTH!” And with that, the Serpents charged.

Toni was lost in the mass of leather as the two gangs met head-on, she found herself separated from Sweet Pea and Jughead, facing three Ghoulies opposite her with Fangs by her side. Lunging forward, she sliced out with her knife, missing the first Ghoulie’s torso but hitting his fellow in the arm. The second Ghoulie retaliated by kicking her in the gut, winding her as she stumbled back. The third Ghoulie was locked in a fist fight with Fangs, landing a solid punch to Fangs’ face, causing his cut from the previous week to reopen. But Toni had little time to spare watching Fangs’ fight as she had her own opponents to contend with. Not thinking twice, she barreled forward, elbow stuck out so she collided with the first Ghoulie directly in his solar plexus. As he fell to the ground wheezing, the second Ghoulie swung out with his knife, catching Toni across the right cheekbone. She felt hot blood streaming down her face, and she saw red. Swinging forward she hit him as hard as she could in the temple with a left hook, causing the skin on her knuckles to split and start bleeding. But it had done the trick, the Ghoulie was knocked cold. The first Ghoulie had pulled himself into a kneeling position, struggling to get back to his feet, but Toni wasn’t taking any chances, she kicked him across the face, making him collapse, passed out next to the other. She whipped around to see what had happened to Fangs and saw him catching his breath, blood staining the front of his shirt, with a Ghoulie at his feet.

Nodding once to confirm he was alright, Fangs straightened up and join Toni as they scrambled through the fray, trying to find a Serpent in need of help. 

“JUG!” Fangs shouted, and ran forward to help Jughead who was about to be jumped from behind by a Ghoulie while still locked in combat. Fangs tackled the offending gang member to the ground and began grappling in the now blood soaked grass. The pair were quickly blocked from view by more warring gang members, and Toni found herself alone in the throng. From the corner of her eye she saw a studded leather jacket rise from the ground, a Ghoulie standing tall over Hawks, one of the other teens from the trailer park. Hawks was curled on the ground groaning, clearly in no condition to fight anymore. Toni threw herself forward, punching the Ghoulie across the face to draw his attention away from the fallen Serpent. He responded much quicker than she anticipated, kicking her in the gut. Toni cried out in pain, his boots had been spiked too and had punctured her abdomen where he had made contact. Hissing in pain and slightly hunched over, Toni eyed her adversary warily.

Suddenly the Ghoulie burst out laughing. “I know you! You’re that two faced Serpent who’s fucking the Blossom bitch!” 

Toni’s eyes widened in alarm. They couldn’t hurt Cheryl, Cheryl wasn’t a part of this. Oh, god if she’d put her at risk. They weren’t even really together but Cheryl was still in danger. She couldn’t let anything happen to her. “So, what?” she shouted back at the Ghoulie, unable to think of a better response in her panic.

“So,” he sneered, “I was just thinking what a good time I’ll have carving her up once I’m done with you. Maybe it’ll be more fun to carve up one of the Northsiders for a change. You know, right after I finish–”

But he never got to the end of his sentenced. Toni, in her fury, had thrown herself at him, headbutting him in the chest before jerking her head upward, knocking him in the jaw. The Ghoulie screamed in pain. He had bitten his tongue. Not stopping even for a second, Toni held his shoulders and kneed him in the gut, following it up by sweeping his legs out from under him. Dropping on top of his chest, Toni began punching his face repeatedly, landing a blow between every word she spoke. “Cheryl – Blossom – is – one – hundred – times – the – person – you – could – ever – be!” She sat up, knuckles bloodied, but not feeling the pain. “You’ll never lay a single finger on her!” The Ghoulie’s face was battered and bloodied beyond belief. He had long since been knocked out.

“TINY! HELP!”

Toni shot up, distracted from her defeated foe by a shout she would know anywhere. A shout she had known since they were six years old and had gotten into their first fight. “SWEET PEA!” She turned frantically on the spot until she saw him. There he was, taller than all those around him but unable to contend with the four Ghoulies attacking him. One had him in a headlock from behind, as he fought off two more with wild swings of his arms and legs. The fourth was closing in, and had drawn a knife. “NO!” Toni raced forward and seized the arm of the Ghoulie wielding the knife. She grabbed his wrist and shoulder, straightening his arm out and forcing it down as she brought her knee up to meet his elbow. There was a sickening crunch as his arm broke cleanly. The Ghoulie let out a strangled howl, drawing the attention of his fellows. The slight distraction was all Sweet Pea needed. He jammed his elbow back into the Ghoulie’s stomach, breaking the headlock and whirling around with his brass knuckles to hit his former captor in the side of the head. The Ghoulie crumpled instantly as Sweet Pea turned his attention to the other two attackers. “Thanks, Tiny!” he panted, running to stand next to her as they prepared to face off against the remaining opponents. 

Toni knew something was wrong by the look on one Ghoulies face as her turned to his comrade. The leering grin meant nothing good. “That’s them. Both of them.” he said, voice dripping with malice. He threw his head back and let out a piercing cry. “AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI!” Toni felt her blood run cold at the sound and felt her legs shaking with fear. Both of them what could that mean. She glanced around. Oh no. Ghoulies across the park were converging on the point where Sweet Pea and Toni stood. The Serpents across the field, confused as to why their opponents had suddenly turned tail, looked over and saw, too late, what was happening. The Ghoulies had found their prey, the ones they blamed for the fall of their friend.

Sweet Pea glanced down at Toni, fear in his eyes. “A Serpent never shows cowardice.”

She nodded, looking back at him. “No Serpent stands alone.”

And then, the Ghoulies struck. Toni lashed out with her fists, her feet, her knife, anything to drive off the Ghoulies until help arrived. Help had to arrive. But it was no use, she had lost sight of Sweet Pea, and on all sides, Ghoulies were closing in. She felt a kick to her back, suddenly followed by a slash to her stomach with a knife. Toni’s screams of pain echoed across the park, getting lost between Sweet Pea’s own cries of agony, the Serpents roaring as they attacked the mass surrounding the teens, and the triumphant jeers of the Ghoulies. Toni felt her arms pulled back behind her and she caught a glimpse of Sweet Pea. Two Ghoulies had restrained his arms while several more were punching, kicking, and a few even cutting with knives as he fell to his knees howling in pain. “SWEETS!” Toni screamed for her best friend but was cut of by a kick to her gut. She doubled over, but was held up by an unseen Ghoulie behind her as another struck her across the face.

“TINY!”

“SWEET PEA!”

She could hear Jughead and Fangs shouting. They needed to get here soon, they had to get here. Sweet Pea was already down and she could barely hold out much longer. Another Ghoulie brought back his fist, brass knuckles glinting in the moonlight. The last thing Toni saw was the gleam of the weapon, flashing through the night before everything went dark.

 

\-- 

It was nearly 1:30 in the morning but Cheryl could not sleep. She had never been in a gang, so she had no idea how long these fights were supposed to last, but she felt sure that Toni would text her when it was over. She had to know the Serpent was safe. Much as she’d been unhappy about the merging of the two high schools, Cheryl had grown fond of the rough and tumble Serpent group over the past few weeks and found she genuinely could not stop worrying about their safety. Toni, in particular. She knew the girl was tough as nails, but in a fight against fully grown adults. She needed to know Toni, and the boys, were safe before she could rest easily.

She had been seated on her couch, reading a book but not taking in a word, for hours now, glancing out the window and down the drive every few minutes, hoping she would see Toni’s headlights, or hear a motorcycle in case she decided to come by Thistlehouse instead of texting. After staring into the night for the umpteenth time, Cheryl saw it. Two headlights were coming down the drive. Cheryl shot to her feet, alarmed. She wasn’t really expecting visitors at this time of night. The only person who would come by is Toni, but surely she would have taken her bike, not a truck as the vehicle in her drive appeared to be. Cheryl watched as two figures jumped out of the truck, reaching behind her for her bow and arrows. She stood just to the side so she could keep watching out of the window, but so the figures couldn’t see her. The first figure dragged a huge mass, was that a body?, out of the backseat, and appeared to struggle under its weight. The second, smaller figure, heaved another mass out and shut the car doors behind them. Cheryl was thoroughly confused. Thistlehouse, creepy old house that it was, would certainly be a fine place to hide a body. No one would come looking on a Blossom estate, no one would dare. But did the figures not notice the lights on in the house? And why did it look like they were heading for her door?

A loud banging knock came from the front door, causing Cheryl to jump. “RED! CHERYL!” she recognized Fangs’ voice. It sounded strained, and panicked.

She dropped her bow and arrows back in their place beside the fireplace and raced for the door. She didn’t know what Fangs was doing here but he was safe. And he would have news of Toni. Cheryl threw open the door and looked out onto the front step. The two figures she had seen were Fangs and Jughead. And they were indeed supporting bodies. Fangs, straining with effort and blood staining his shirt and running down his face, was supporting an unconscious, barely breathing Sweet Pea. And beside him stood Jughead, battered and bloody, but not nearly as bad as the girl he was supporting. Toni. “We need help.” Fangs looked up at her, pleadingly.

Cheryl gasped and beckon them inside, taking Toni’s arm and swinging it around her shoulder, taking her weight off of Jughead so he could help Fangs carry Sweet Pea. Cheryl nodded her head towards the sitting room. “You can lie him down on the couch in there!”

The boys nodded,  grunting as they carried Sweet Pea’s limp body over to the couch Cheryl had been sitting on minutes before. She followed them, gently resting Toni on the other sofa in the room, perpendicular to the one where Sweet Pea now lay. She stared down at the girl. Toni, usually so strong and tough, looked broken as she lay there. Her face was entirely bruised, cuts littered across her body where knives had pierced even her Serpents jacket. Blood was seeping through what remained of her tattered shirt that had obviously been cut apart. So much blood had gotten lost in her hair that the formerly pink strands seemed redder that Cheryl’s. Cheryl tore her eyes away from the heart breaking sight in front of her, and turned to face Fangs and Jughead. Jug pulled Fangs around from his vacant staring at Sweet Pea’s deeply wounded face. The three of them looked at each other.

Jughead was the first to speak. “Cheryl, I – I know its a lot to ask–”

Fangs interrupted him. “Can we stay here?” He sounded desperate, his eyes shining with worry for his two best friends, lying unconscious in a strange house on the Northside. “They can’t be on the Southside right now, the Ghoulies, they – they–”

Cheryl cut him off. “Of course, Fangs. You can stay here.” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice, but failed. “But you need to tell me what happened, all of it.” Fangs nodded fervently. Cheryl swallowed. “We need to help them. Now, what do we do?” 

 


	9. Les Fleurs du Mal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They try to patch up Sweet Pea and Toni and end up at Thistlehouse for a bit

Cheryl waited for a response, gazing expectantly at Jughead. Being a self proclaimed weirdo and always reading books and investigating crime, she felt sure he would know what to do. It was, however, Fangs who spoke first. “First things first. Jug and I need to get cleaned up before we help Tiny and Sweets. We’re only going to make things worse if we get them infected. Red, do you have a shower or something where we can clean off?” he gestured down at his blood soaked shirt and muddy jeans. “I don’t think just washing our hands is going to do the trick.”

Cheryl nodded. “There’s a shower connected to the guest room, down the hall and to your left and another upstairs next to the room where my mother used to sleep. Up the stairs and all the way at the end.”

Fangs nodded. “While we do that, I need you to gather any first aid supplies you have in the house. We figured you’d probably have a bit more than the Serpents have on hand.”

“Of course.” Cheryl spun on her heel towards the kitchen, ready to get started.

“Um, Cheryl?” Jughead had spoken up. “Do you have, like, clean clothes or something? I’m sorry, I know we’ve already asked so much…”

She nodded. “I can check the room JJ used to use when we were here. I’m sure I can find something from when he was younger for you.”

“Great.” Fangs stood up and took off his Serpent jacket, setting it on the back of the couch where Sweet Pea lay, unmoving. “Let’s go. We have to hurry.” With that he turned and bounded up the stairs towards the bathroom Cheryl had mentioned. Jughead turned to head down the hall while Cheryl followed Fangs up, stopping two doors down to the room she had avoided ever since moving in. Jason’s room. With a deep breath she pushed open the door.

It wasn’t as big as his room at Thornhill had been, nor as well decorated, but as she entered the room, Cheryl felt her brother’s presence. Jason Blossom had once lived and breathed and made this space his own. She glance over at the dresser where a framed photograph of the two of them at age ten sat, dusty. Tucked into the frame of the mirror were more photographs featuring the Blossom family, Cheryl, and various Riverdale High athletes, Jason’s friends. Cheryl could see an old snapshot of Reggie Mantle, arm thrown around Jason’s shoulder, laughing. If her brother were still alive, maybe things between the Serpents and the Bulldogs would be different. Maybe they would have gotten along under the peaceful influence of Jason Blossom. Maybe she still would have gotten to know the four Serpents currently under her roof. Cheryl knew, in her heart, that everything would have been different, better, if only her father had never killed her twin. Blinking to bring herself back to the current situation, she strode over to the dresser, looking once again at the photo of her brother.

“JJ,” her voice was quaking, but she needed to talk to him. “I’m sorry I’m taking your stuff. You never liked it when I would steal your sweatshirts. And you probably didn’t like the Serpents either. But they’re good people. And they need help. And even if it’s not much, they need a clean set of clothes and a place to stay, so I’m going to take some of your old stuff. I know you’d understand if you were here. I love you, JJ. Always.”

Cheryl pulled open the second drawer down and pulled out two t-shirts, pausing before grabbing a third. Sweet Pea, of course would also need new clothes. She strode over to the closet and grabbed a couple pairs of pants and some sweatshirts. Glancing back at the photos of her brother peppering the walls before closing the door, Cheryl exited the room. 

She strode down the hall to drop a set of clothes in front of the bathroom before descending the stairs to drop another outfit on the bed in the guest room. Walking back through the living room, she dropped the rest of the clothes on the arm rest of the couch where Sweet Pea lay. It was time to get to work. She swept through the house, pulling as many medical supplies as she could find. After gathering everything, she returned to the sitting room and spread her haul out on the coffee table. There were various sizes of gauze patches and compresses, a variety of bandaids, athletic tape, several punch in ice packs, ACE bandages, thicker gauze bandages, painkillers, a ton of antiseptic wipes, and some nylon thread. Cheryl sighed. Most of this had been found in the side chamber leading out to where she had set up her archery range. At least her parents had cared enough to prepare for the possibility that she shot someone. Or maybe it had been put there to treat anyone caught in the cross hairs of Clifford Blossom’s drug empire.

Cheryl took a deep breath. She needed to focus. Sweet Pea and Toni were seriously hurt. She glanced down at what she was wearing. Having been waiting for news from Toni before going to bed, she was wearing comfortable clothes. Leggings, a tank top, and a Riverdale High sweatshirt. Nothing she minded getting ruined. Hearing footsteps racing down the stairs she saw Fangs, dressed in Jason’s old sweatpants and carrying the t-shirt and sweatshirt she had provided in his arms.

“You know I left those for you to  _ wear _ , right?” she quipped at the Serpent as he bounded over to the living room.

“Can’t.” Fangs gestured to his chest. There was a thin cut along the right side of his ribcage slowly starting to gather blood, clearly the injury that had made his old shirt so bloody. Grabbing an antiseptic wipe, he quickly cleaned the cut, grabbing a gauze pad and some tape. Tearing off a piece of tape with his teeth, Fangs afixed the gauze to his side then pulled on the shirt, followed by the Yankees sweatshirt Cheryl had provided. Rolling up his sleeves he looked at her. “There. Now where is Jug?”

“I’m here.” Jughead grumbled, wandering into the room. Despite the severity of the situation, Cheryl almost laughed as she took in Jughead’s appearance. He was wearing a bright red t-shirt that was slightly too large over jeans that were definitely a size or two bigger than he actually wore. The zip up hoodie Cheryl had blindly grabbed was bright yellow, with blue lettering on the upper left corner reading RHS. To cap it all, his hair was damp and stuck up at odd angles after the shower, visible due to the fact that his signature beanie was missing. The entire effect was so un-Jughead. “It took me longer than expected because I had to roll up these damn jeans.”

“Never mind that, we have to get started.” Fangs said. He stared down at Sweet Pea for a second. “Red, get us towels and a bowl of warm water! We need to start cleaning as much of the blood as possible off of them!”

Cheryl nodded and raced to the kitchen, filling two bowls with hot water from the sink and grabbing several towels before returning to the living room where Fangs and Jughead were no longer standing. Glancing around in concern, Cheryl saw them out the window, pulling something from the truck. As they reentered the house, she could see they had brought in a tarp. Throwing it down on the floor, they carefully lifted Sweet Pea off the couch and onto the tarp. Understanding, Cheryl quickly crossed to Toni’s motionless body and gently lifted her off the couch. Fangs rushed over to help, and the pair moved Toni so that she was lying a foot and a half to Sweet Pea’s left. Jughead set the water and towels down on the tarp next to the fallen Serpents. 

“Okay.” Fangs furrowed his brows, bracing himself. “I’ve only ever helped out the older Serpents with stuff like this, but I think I know enough to get us through this.” With that, he pulled out his knife, grabbed the edge of Sweet Pea’s shirt and cut a line straight down the middle. Jughead propped up the unconscious boy so that Fangs could remove the Serpent jacket and peel off the drenched shirt. The sight underneath was horrific. Sweet Pea’s torso was covered with bruises, punctures, and several deep gashes. Cheryl saw Fangs wince visibly and steel himself again. He moved down and pulled Sweet Pea’s jeans down, throwing them to the side, leaving him in only a pair of boxers. Cheryl could see clearly why it was necessary. There was a deep cut in Sweet Pea’s upper left thigh that was still steadily bleeding. Several more cuts littered his calves where the Ghoulies had attacked with spiked boots and his left knee was swollen to nearly twice its normal size, heavily bruised.

Fangs sighed heavily. “This is going to be a lot of work. Cheryl, can you get Toni and start assessing the damage?”

“I–um, well,” Cheryl blushed. They might be in a serious situation but the thought of needing to undress the pink haired Serpent was a bit uncomfortable.

“Come on, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, right? Here.” Fangs passed her the knife.

“Right. Of course.” Cheryl nodded, taking the knife from the boy. Of course he thought she wouldn’t be bothered. Toni was supposed to be her girlfriend as far as anyone else knew. God, how did she get into this mess? Steadying her hand, Cheryl did her best to copy Fangs’ motions, slicing through Toni’s shirt. Moving behind her, she gently lifted the smaller girl by the shoulders so she could remove the leather jacket and shirt underneath, leaving Toni in her sports bra. Seeing Toni’s injuries was even worse for Cheryl. Her eyes travelled across Toni’s torso, taking in the damage. An enormous bruise covered her entire left side, a bootprint shaped bruise was centered across her abs, spikes having made six neat punctures around the edge. Just above the bootprint, across the very bottom of her ribcage was a deep slash, bleeding slowly. With this much exposure, Cheryl could see Toni’s chest move with each breath. Her breathing was uneven and stuttering, the deeper breaths only causing her open wound to bleed more. Cheryl bit her lip to keep it from trembling as she moved down to remove Toni’s jeans. Her leg hadn’t suffered the same level of damage as Sweet Pea’s, presumably because his provided a much higher and therefore more accessible target. She had an open cut above her right knee and her left ankle was swollen and twisted at an odd angle, but there were no other serious injuries. There was of course, bruising but given that her entire body was pretty beaten at the moment, they didn’t stand out too much.

Cheryl glanced over at Jughead and Fangs, trying to get a clue as to what she should be doing. They had taken the towels and started wiping off Sweet Pea’s chest, cleaning it of as much dried blood, dirt, and grime as they could. Copying their motions, Cheryl picked up a towel, dipped it in the bowl next to her and carefully began to clean Toni’s torso, trying to avoid the seriously injured areas, leaving them for later. As she worked, it became clear just how much blood Toni had lost, evident by how much was caked on the Serpent’s skin. Cheryl was sure that if her face wasn’t so badly bruised, Toni would be several shades paler than normal. Once as much of Toni’s body as possible was cleaned, Cheryl looked back up at Fangs. “What now?” She couldn’t keep the tremor out of her voice.

Fangs looked his friend up and down, taking in the injuries. “Disinfect those smaller stabs in her stomach and cover them with a pad. Clean out that cut above her knee and bandage it. Her ankle and side need to be heavily iced, I think her rib is broken, but we can’t do much about that until that big cut gets stitched up.”

“Stitched up?!” Cheryl’s voice rose several octaves.

Fangs grimaced. “Yeah. I can do that. Tiny keeps a spare needle on her just in case. She and Sweets are both better at it that I am but we don’t have much choice. Sweet Pea has like three different cuts that need them.” He picked up Toni’s jacket and reached into an inside pocket, pulling out a small case with three needles. He pulled one out carefully and grabbed his own Serpent jacket off the back of the couch. He rummaged through the pockets until he found what he was looking for. A lighter. Fangs flicked it open and held the needle over the flame. Once he was satisfied with its sterilization, he reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the nylon thread. “Thank god you had this, Red. I could have used normal thread but this is way better. I’ll get Pea sewn up with Jug patches up the other cuts. Do your best to patch up Toni and I’ll come over to do the stitches once I’m done here.”

Cheryl nodded and grabbed several antiseptic wipes. Carefully she cleaned out each of the puncture marks the Ghoulie’s boot had made. Grabbing gauze pads she covered the open areas, wincing slightly at the pain she knew she must be causing Toni when she applied pressure to seal the edges with tape. Moving down to the knee injury, she cleaned it gently, shuddering when she pulled a piece of gravel or rock from Toni’s flesh. Once the cut was cleaned out, she attached butterfly closures across to keep it sealed before wrapping it up in a bandage. She stood up and walked to the kitchen, filled a bowl with ice and grabbed a plastic bag. Returning to Toni’s side, she filled a bag with ice, sealed it, and used an ACE bandage to bind it to her swollen ankle.

By the time she was done, Fangs had finished Sweet Pea’s stitches. Though more of his injuries had needed them, the cuts themselves were smaller than the bloody line still open across Toni’s chest. Fangs inhaled deeply to gather himself, then pierced the needle through Toni’s skin to begin his work. Cheryl couldn’t watch. She looked away and squeezed her eyes close to prevent tears from slipping out. How had this happened? How had Toni gotten so hurt? She felt sure it had something to do with whatever the Serpents hadn’t told her about last Friday. But they had kept her in the dark and now helping Toni and Sweet Pea was far more important.

It seemed like ages before she felt Fangs place a hand gently on her shoulder. “I’m done.” his voice was quiet, comforting. God, Cheryl thought, how could he be this kind? His two best friends could have died tonight and he was still trying to make her feel better. “Can you finish up? I need to help Jug get Sweets back on the couch.”

Cheryl nodded silently. She grabbed some of the punch in ice packs, breaking the internal bag and wrapped them close to Toni’s side with another ACE bandage. These would need to be changed but if she used real ice, Toni’s clothes would be soaked. Clothes. Toni needed new clothes. Cheryl stood up suddenly and raced upstairs to her room, grabbing another pair of leggings, a long sleeve cropped shirt, and a soft zip up hoodie. She knew they’d need to have access to Toni’s potentially broken ribcage, so she made sure the clothes provided a way to change the ice packs. As she descended the stairs she saw Fangs and Jughead maneuvering Sweet Pea’s limp form into the clothes Cheryl had pulled from Jason’s room. Fangs rolled up the left leg of the sweatpants and began to wrap an ice pack around Sweet Pea’s swollen knee while Jughead cleaned off the remaining blood and dirt from his face. Sweet Pea looked broken, but better than he had when they boys had dragged him into Thistlehouse.

Cheryl returned to Toni’s side and dressed her, needing Fangs’ help with the shirt. While the boys lifted Sweet Pea back onto the couch, Cheryl cleaned Toni’s face carefully, applying a few butterfly closures the the cut along her right cheekbone. The Serpent’s face was badly bruised, with both eyes blacked, a split and swelling lip, and small cuts along the left side that must have been caused by the brass knuckles. Surveying her handiwork, Cheryl once again noticed the decidedly redder hue of Toni’s hair. Getting to her feet again, Cheryl grabbed one of the bowls of water and strode towards the bathroom. Dumping out the contents of the basin she refilled it with warm water while grabbing a towel and some shampoo. Returning to the living room, she knelt down by Toni’s head, turning her face to the side before resting it in her lap so that the matted pink locks fell into the bowl of water but her face remained elevated. Fangs and Jughead stood watching, silently, as Cheryl washed out the blood from Toni’s hair and gently dried it with the towel. Once she was done, Jughead spoke.

“Hey, Cheryl,” his voice was rough from shock and lack of use. “We can get her back onto the couch. Could you grab a glass of water? And maybe tell us where we could find some blankets?”

She nodded, standing up. “Guest bedroom, top shelf in the closet.”

Fangs left to go to the bedroom while Cheryl filled a glass in the kitchen. Jughead grabbed a bottle of painkillers from the table and shook several into his hand. Cheryl returned, handing him the water and he moved to stand near Sweet Pea’s head. “Could you lift his head up?” Cheryl did as she was asked and tilted the unconscious boy’s head upwards. Jughead placed two painkillers into Sweet Pea’s slack mouth, poured a bit of water in and then rubbed the sides of his throat, forcing him to swallow. “It should bring down the swelling, and help with the pain if, sorry, when they wake up.” Cheryl nodded and followed Jughead over to Toni, repeating the process.

Once the unresponsive Serpents had been given medicine, Jughead grabbed a few more pills, downing them himself. Fangs returned carrying what must have been all of the blankets from the closet, and Jughead offered him the bottle. The two boys exchanged what they were holding, and Fangs threw  back some painkillers. Jughead set the blankets down, selecting the two thickest ones and threw them over Toni and Sweet Pea. Finally done with the treatment of their friends, Jughead and Fangs collapsed with exhaustion, sinking down so that they were sitting with their backs against the couch where Sweet Pea lay. Cheryl picked up a blanket off the stack Jughead had set on the floor, wrapping it around her shoulders before sitting on the couch where Toni lay, positioning herself so that the Serpent’s head rested in her lap once again.

“Now,” it was late but Cheryl couldn’t go another second without getting the full story. “What happened? You promised to tell me. I have to know. Why couldn’t they go to a hospital? Surely they’d get better care there?”

Fangs looked up at her, defeat in his eyes. “Ghoulies.” he sighed wearily. “Jughead, you explain. I– I can’t. It’s too much.” He leaned his head back against the couch behind him, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Cheryl turned her attention to Jughead. The boy took a deep breath and began. “A few weeks ago, Fangs and I got jumped by the other gang on the Southside. I guess I should start there. Recently, the Ghoulies have been more aggressive, making a move to try and control more of the Southside. Ever since your dad died,” Jughead glanced uncomfortably up at Cheryl for a moment before continuing, “the Ghoulies have lacked a real leader. They were the ones distributing the drugs on the Southside but they needed Cliff Blossom to tell them what to do and keep the supply coming. That meant they had to follow his rules which included some territorial restrictions on their gang. Now that they’ve been producing and distributing on their own, the Ghoulies have been trying to take over the entire Southside, to turn it all into a piece in their drug empire. The Serpents have been trying to restrict that growth and keep the problem contained. Last week, the Ghoulies made a play for the Wyrm. It’s a Serpent stronghold. Taking the Wyrm would have been a blow that would be nearly impossible to recover from.”

“Hang on,” Cheryl interrupted, confused. “What does that have to do with Toni and Pea? FP told you guys to go to Sunnyside? You weren’t at the Wyrm.”

Jughead nodded. “Right, we were sent back to Sunnyside. It’s the other Serpent den on the Southside. The Ghoulies hit there too. But during the fight…” he gulped. “I didn’t really see what happened, there was a lot going on. Somehow, a Ghoulie ended up on top of Toni, trying to strangle her.” Cheryl gasped, but Jughead plowed on. “She ended up stabbing him really badly. Sweet Pea was just trying to help her but he, uh, he kicked the guy in the ribs a couple times. And you know Sweet Pea, he wasn’t exactly holding anything back, especially with Toni in danger. The Ghoulies took their guy to the hospital and my dad’s been keeping us posted through a contact we have there. His ribs were splintered, bits of them had punctured his left lung. And his kidney and spleen were hit when Toni stabbed him. It wasn’t good. He still hasn’t woken up after the two surgeries he had. It looks like he might not make it. The Ghoulies wanted revenge, so they set a time and place for an all out war.”

Cheryl looked like she was about to interrupt again, so Jughead held up his hand and spoke faster. “Their guy still hadn’t woken up by Friday so we spent all day preparing for the attack. We knew they’d be targeting Toni and Sweet Pea a little more so we tried to convince them not to come. They insisted on being their. Sweet Pea said that it would be against Serpent code for the mto get us into a mess and not help get us out of it. During the fight, they somehow got Toni and Sweet Pea together, and sent out a call. We didn’t expect that. They didn’t want a war. They just wanted revenge on those two. They swarmed them. We couldn’t reach them, there was nothing we could do.” Jughead looked desperately at Cheryl, silently begging her not to blame them.

Cheryl nodded, shaken by the overwhelming volume of information. “So, why are you here? Why not a hospital?”

Fangs finally spoke up again. “We couldn’t. The Ghoulies were waiting near the hospital to prevent Sweets and Tiny from getting actual help. And if they survive this and the Ghoulies still doesn’t wake up they’ll still be targets. Bringing them back to Sunnyside risks everyone there. The Ghoulies won’t attack here, the Northside is off limits. And anyways, you have way more stuff and we needed all the help we could get.” He rested his head back on the couch again.

Cheryl nodded again, understanding. “You guys can stay here as long as you’d like. We have plenty of space. You must be exhausted, you can stay in the guest room and get some rest.”

Fangs shook his head. “No. We’re not leaving them.” He pulled one of the remaining blankets off the stack and threw it over himself, lying down on the rug beside the sofa. “Besides,” he yawned, “this is still way more comfortable than the floor of the trailer.”

Jughead pulled the last blanket over himself and settled in next to Fangs. As the two boys drifted off, Cheryl drew her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes, mindlessly running her hands through Toni’s hair, wishing desperately for the pink haired Serpent to wake up.

 

\-- 

 

Cheryl was the first one to wake up the next morning, much later than she would usually get up but still ahead of the Serpents who had been fighting for their lives the night before. Quietly getting up, Cheryl removed Toni’s head from her lap and set it gently on the a pillow she had removed from the couch the night before. Making her way into the kitchen, Cheryl pulled out eggs, butter, milk, and bacon from the fridge, setting them on the counter. From the cabinets she grabbed flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Setting to work, she whipped up pancake batter and heated a pan on the stove.

By the time Fangs and Jughead woke up and wandered into the kitchen, Cheryl had finished cooking. Sitting on the counter was a spread of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a bowl of freshly washed cherries.

“Oh my god!” Jughead groaned in appreciation. “Food!” his beanie was back on his head, but he was still wearing his odd ensemble from the night before.

Fangs had quickly loaded up his plate, drowning his pancakes in syrup before taking a huge bite. “Tiny is so fucking lucky! I didn’t know you could cook, Red.”

Cheryl chuckled lightly, popping a cherry into her mouth. “I figured it’s the least I could do. You guys had a rough night.” Straightening up she added, “I threw your clothes from yesterday into the laundry. I don’t know if all of the bloodstains will be gone, but they be clean.”

“Thanks so much.” Fangs said gratefully, shoveling eggs into his mouth.

They devoured the rest of the food in silence. Once they had finished, Cheryl started cleaning the dishes while Jughead stepped outside to call his dad. Fangs grabbed some ice from the freezer, threw it into some plastic bags, and returned to the living room. Carefully, he changed the packs on Toni’s side and ankle and Sweet Pea’s knee. Reaching over to the table where various first aid supplies were still scattered, he changed the bandages on the wounds that had still been bleeding the previous night.

Jughead returned to the kitchen as Cheryl finished placing the last plate in the dishwasher. “I let FP know we’re safe and that Toni and Pea have been treated to the best of our ability. He says he trusts Fangs to know how to take care of them and told me to thank you for letting us stay here.”

“Any word on the injured Ghoulie?” Fangs inquired, stepping into the room.

“No. He’s not dead but still not awake.”

“Dammit.” Fangs ran a hand through his hair. “Listen, Jug, could I get you and Red to run a few errands for me?”

“Sure.” Jughead and Cheryl said at the same time.

“We’re running low on supplies. I made a list of some stuff we need, and if you could pick up some protein shakes or juice or something, that’d be great. I’m not sure how Sweet Pea and Toni will be with solid food when they wake up.” Fangs handed them a small slip of paper. “I’m going to stay here and monitor them.”

Jughead nodded and returned to the living room to pull on his shoes and Serpent jacket. Cheryl pulled on a pair of sneakers, tying her hair back as well. It was still a bit tousled but what with the current state of chaos, she didn’t think she’d have an opportunity to fix it anytime soon. She and Jughead exited the house and jumped into the truck the boys had arrived in last night. Jughead started the car and pulled out of the drive.

They pulled into the grocery store about ten minutes later. As he shifted the car into park, Jughead suddenly turned to Cheryl with a horrified look on his face. “Oh my god. I just realized. I’m going to be out in public. Wearing  _ this _ !” he gestured down at the bright hoodie and oversized jeans.

“Are you insulting JJ’s choice in clothes?” Cheryl said in mock offense. She laughed lightly at the look of shock on his face and pushed open her door. “C’mon Hobo, we have food to buy.”

They hopped out of the car and entered the store, grabbing a cart. The front area of the store housed the produce section and Jughead pushed the cart around, following Cheryl as she threw various fruits and vegetables into it. 

“Why do we need all of this stuff? It’s not on Fang’s list.” Jughead questioned, inspecting a box of strawberries Cheryl had just grabbed.

“Because,” she started, pulling the berries from his hand and placing them in the cart, “if Toni and Sweet Pea can’t eat solid food, then I’m making them smoothies so they don’t have to live off of pre packaged protein shakes. Besides, if you guys are staying for awhile we need enough food to actually make halfway healthy food.”

Jughead leaned on the cart looking mystified. “What are you even going to make? How did you learn how to do all of this?”

Cheryl smiled proudly, basking in Jughead’s impressed tone. “Well, after Thornhill burned down and Daddy’s assets were frozen, we lost most of our staff so I had to do a lot of things for myself, so I learned to cook. As for what I’m making, I guess you’ll just have to find out later.”

They continued to wander the store, spending a good deal of time in the personal care section where all first aid supplies were stored. They nearly cleaned out the shelved supply of gauze bandages and grabbed several reusable ice packs to bring back to Thistlehouse. Their next stop was the snack food aisle where Cheryl immediately regretted telling Jughead to “grab whatever he wanted” which turned out to be everything. They were just passing the pharmacy and florist on the way to the checkout line when Jughead spotted a familiar blonde ponytail.

“Hey, Betty!” he called out. “What’s up?”

Betty Cooper turned around, holding a bouquet of lilies and irises with several orchids in the mix. Grinning she greeted them. “Jughead, hi!” her smile faltered a bit. “And, uh, Cheryl! Great to see you guys!”

Cheryl nodded curtly then looked away from the blonde. Jughead however looked questioningly at the flowers in Betty’s hand. “What’re those for, Betts?”

Betty blushed slightly before responding. “Well, I guess you wouldn’t know because you skipped Friday,” Jughead stiffened slightly and gripped the handle of the cart, clearly remembering yesterday’s horrifying events. “But I asked Veronica out on a date! And she said yes! So I’m taking her out to dinner tonight and thought I’d bring her some flowers.”

Jughead relaxed a bit and grinned at his friend. “That’s great!”

Betty nodded, smiling and looked down into the contents of Jughead and Cheryl’s cart. “Wow, that’s a lot of first aid stuff. Is everything alright.”

Jughead looked at Cheryl, clearly not wanting to tell Betty what was going on but not having any way to explain. The redhead cut in, “It’s Serpent’s business, not yours Nancy Drew. Now, we’d better go pay so we can get back to Fangs.” her cold statement said plainly that the conversation was over.

“Oh, well, bye then. It was nice seeing you guys.” Betty said, taken aback at the abrupt end to their chat.

Cheryl guided the cart towards the nearest cashier, Jughead trailing behind her. “B and V, wow. I always thought something might happen but I had no idea Betty swung that way. Huh.” he mused as the cashier scanned the items they had gathered.

“Me neither.” Cheryl replied through gritted teeth, passing her card over to pay for their groceries. “Now help me carry these, we need to get back to Thistlehouse.” She grabbed two bags and stalked towards the exit.

The afternoon wore on, with Jughead in and out of the house, constantly on the phone with his father, trying to get information and being asked again and again for information on the two teenage Serpents who had yet to wake up. Fangs had gone out back, throwing knives at Cheryl’s archery targets to blow of steam as his distress for the condition of his best friends remained unchanging. Cheryl sat in the living room, having pulled up a chair near the couch where Toni was still resting, unmoving. She had been reading aloud French poetry for nearly two hours now, filling the silence with melodic prose. On the stops the boys made in the living room to check on Sweet Pea and Toni, they listened to the calm sounds of a foreign language, finding it oddly peaceful in their current predicament.

“ _ La très chère était nue, et, connaissant mon coeur/ Elle n'avait gardé que ses bijoux sonores/ Dont le riche attirail lui donnait l'air vainqueur/ Qu'ont dans leurs jours heureux les esclaves des Mores _ ” she read, her voice lyrical as she watched the pink haired Serpent gently breathing on the couch beside her. Jughead stepped into the living room, leaning against the doorframe. Fangs wandering back in as well, looking like he was about to speak but Jughead held a finger over his lips, and he closed his mouth. The two stood, watching as Cheryl continued reading the poem to Toni. “ _ Et la lampe s'étant résignée à mourir/ Comme le foyer seul illuminait la chambre/ Chaque fois qu'il poussait un flamboyant soupir/ Il inondait de sang cette peau couleur d'ambre _ .” she finished.

“That’s beautiful.” said Jughead quietly.

Cheryl looked up, not having noticed the boys appearance. “It’s called  _ Les Bijoux _ .” she said, closing her book.

Jughead smiled. “Like the theater.”

Cheryl nodded, looking down at Toni sadly. “She hasn’t moved all day. Neither has Sweet Pea.” she looked up at Fangs. “I’ve been changing their ice and bandages and given them more painkillers but… nothing.”

He nodded mournfully. “I know, Red. You’ve done everything you can. Do you guys want food? I was thinking about running out to Pop’s.”

Cheryl stood, shaking her head. “No, I got ingredients to make dinner. You can help if you’d like.”

Fangs nodded and followed her into the kitchen. Jughead took the chair Cheryl had just vacated. “I’ll keep an eye on these two. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

Cheryl put a pot of water on to boil as she pulled out some vegetables. “Here, these need to be chopped.” Fangs pulled out his pocket knife, switching it open. “No! You’ve been throwing that thing around all day, it’s probably filthy. Use this one.” She passed him a clean kitchen knife and moved to gather herbs from the cabinet.

In thirty minutes they had finished cooking. Cheryl set out three plates and served a helping of spaghetti mixed with vegetables on each.

Jughead plopped down at the table and stared at the dish in front of him. “What the heck is this? Why is there so much green?”

Cheryl seated herself at the head of the table and responded. “It’s pasta primavera. And it’s green because there are real vegetables in it. It’s healthy and it’ll help you heal. Eat it.”

The three teens ate their meal in silence. When they were done, Fangs cleared the table and did dishes while Jughead opened a family size bag of cheese puffs, clearly needing some junk food. Cheryl, meanwhile, folded the laundry she had started earlier that day, setting out Fangs and Jughead’s clean clothes for them in the living room. Still exhausted from the previous night, they quickly fell asleep in the living room, not wanting to leave Sweet Pea and Toni alone for the night.

Sunday morning dawned and Cheryl woke up at her usual time of 7:00. Not having been properly clean since the Serpents had entered her house, she crept upstairs, careful not to wake Fangs and Jughead, and took a shower. The fresh clothes and general feeling of cleanliness put Cheryl in a good mood as she returned downstairs and bustled around the kitchen, planning to make blueberry muffins. They only had another five minutes in the oven when she heard a voice behind her.

“Damn, Red. That fucking smells good.”

She whipped around. “SWEET PEA!” she practically screamed, rushing over to wrap him in a bear hug.

In the living room, Fangs sat bolt upright at the sound of Cheryl’s shout. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” he exclaimed, trying to shake his head to wake himself up. Turning to see through into the kitchen, he recognized the figure standing just inside the doorway. “PEA!” he bellowed, bounding over to hug his best friend leaping up to wrap his arms around Sweet Pea’s shoulder.

Jughead raced in on Fangs’ heels and shouted in delight, showing an uncharacteristic display of emotion as he, too, hugged Sweet Pea tightly. The four stood laughing and crying in happiness for a long moment before Sweet Pea spoke. “Guys, as happy as I am to see you, this really fucking hurts.”

Suddenly remembering his injuries, the other three sprang back. Fangs pulled out a chair and gestured for Sweet Pea to sit down. Cheryl returned to the oven and took out the muffins, setting a timer so they could cool for a few minutes. Jughead walked over to the freezer, grabbing a fresh ice pack and passing it to Sweet Pea who pressed it to his knee. Sweet Pea looked over at Fangs who was now seated next to him. “What happened? How long have I been out?”

Fangs filled him in as Cheryl plated the muffins and set them in the center of the table. “And, as far as Jug has heard, the Ghoulie still hasn’t woken up, so they won’t stop coming after you, Sweets. So we’ve been camped out here at Red’s for the past day.” he finished.

Sweet Pea nodded gravely. “I see. And Tiny still hasn’t woken up?” they all shook their heads. “Fuck.” he scowled, grabbing a muffin and taking a huge bite.

“Pea, I’m not sure it’s a great idea for you to be eating solid food.” said Jughead warily.

“Shut up. I’m fucking starving.” 

As it happened, Jughead was right. Not one hour later, Sweet Pea was bent over the toilet, throwing up. When he returned to the living room, Cheryl made him a smoothie, which proved much easier to keep down. Given his injured state, Sweet Pea couldn’t really move around too much with is what led to him convincing the others to play a game of Monopoly. It took over two hours before they were near endgame. Predictably, it was down to Cheryl and Sweet Pea. 

“And that’s my property! Fork over your money Pea!” Cheryl said happily.

Sweet Pea groaned, throwing the last of his money at Cheryl. “This isn’t fair! I don’t know anything about owning property!”

“Suck it up, Sweets. She’s got you beat.” Fangs laughed.

Sweet Pea laid back down on the couch. “I’m gonna take a nap. When I wake up, we’re playing Risk! I’ll be better at that one.” Settling down he closed his eyes while Fangs and Cheryl cleaned up the board. Jughead’s phone began to ring, and he stepped outside for the dozenth time to take a call from his dad.

Fangs sighed as he placed the lid back on the box. “Tiny still hasn’t been responsive. I’m getting worried.”

Cheryl swallowed hard. “Well, she’s a lot smaller than Sweet Pea, it probably takes longer to recover.”

“I guess.” Fangs ran a hand through his hair. “It’s never been this bad before, you know. The Serpent leaders, they try to keep the younger members away from shit like this. I just don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t–”

“Guys, I have news!” Jughead raced back into the living room. “The Ghoulie in the hospital! He woke up! He’s alive!”

Fangs barked out a bitter laugh. “I never thought I’d be glad there wasn’t one less Ghoulie in the world! This means the kill order against Sweets and Tiny is lifted right?”

Jughead nodded slowly. “Wonderful!” Cheryl clapped her hands together. “This means we can take Toni to the hospital. And get Sweet Pea better treatment too!”

Jughead looked sadly at her. “No. No, it doesn’t. My dad said the Ghoulies are still camped out near Riverdale General, they aren’t risking anything. Apparently the Ghoulie was high ranking so they aren’t letting any Serpents near him. FP said to stay put at Thistlehouse.”

Fangs groaned and lay down on the floor. Cheryl leaned back against Toni’s couch so that her head was propped right next to the other girl’s face. Tears began to make slow tracks down her face. “It’s not fair. They need real treatment. It’s not fair.”

“Even if we could get them to the hospital,” Fangs said hollowly, “the doctors might not help. And even if they did, none of us can afford actual medical care. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Hey! Don’t talk like that!” Jughead looked down at Fangs reproachfully. “She’s going to wake up. It’ll be alright! They’ll both heal. Sweet Pea’s awake and getting better already!”

Fangs scoffed derisively and got to his feet. “I’m going out back.” Grabbing his Serpent jacket, he walked out of the house.

Jughead glared after him. “I’m going out. I’ll go grab some burgers from Pop’s. And a milkshake for Sweets.” With that, he stormed out of the house, leaving Cheryl sitting alone with two people she was starting to consider friends, both out cold.

Cheryl sat there for a long moment, then picked up the book of poems she had been reading yesterday, opening it at random and beginning to read aloud. Something about the verse in a different language calmed her. It was so different, it’s meaning masked under a layer of comprehension but once you took the time to learn what all the words meant, it was just as beautiful. Toni had reminded her of those poems. Her affiliations with the gang creating a barrier for Cheryl, that once she took the time to understand, unveiled a whole new outlook. She had looked down on the Serpents her entire life, assumed they were thugs and violent and altogether reprehensible. And yet now there were four Serpents temporarily living under her roof. With her permission and under her care. And all of them were so much more than Cheryl had expected. Sweet Pea’s tough exterior gave way to a genuine caring, selfless boy even if he was overly competitive and a little rough around the edges. Fangs, whose name Cheryl had once laughed at, was friendly, supportive, creative and always there laughing and welcoming her into their little group. Even Jughead’s overly serious life outlook and dark writing habits became endearing and gave way to a somewhat awkward boy who was always more relaxed with food in hand. And Toni, well Toni was far more than she had bargained for. She had let Cheryl open up to her, indulged her by attending stupid parties, let her in on inside jokes with the Serpents. Toni had never been anything but kind and strong and supportive and now she was just lying here, broken.

“ _ Un cygne qui s'était évadé de sa cage/ Et, de ses pieds palmés frottant le pavé sec/ Sur le sol raboteux traînait son blanc plumage./ Près d'un ruisseau sans eau la bête ouvrant le bec _ ” she read on, tears continuing to fall down her face. She’d have to pull herself together before the boys came back. They were going through a much tougher time, she had no business trying to lead on them for support. This wasn’t her family. “ _ Baignait nerveusement ses ailes dans la poudre/ Et disait, le coeur plein de son beau lac natal/ «Eau, quand donc pleuvras-tu? quand tonneras-tu, foudre?»/Je vois ce malheureux, mythe étrange et fatal _ ” It might not be her family but Cheryl didn’t think she could bear to watch what would happen if their little group was broken irreparably like this. “ _ Vers le ciel quelquefois, comme l'homme d'Ovide/ Vers le ciel ironique et cruellement bleu– _ ”

“Has anyone ever told you,” a hoarse voice spoke from just behind her, “that you speaking French is really hot?”

Cheryl dropped the book as if it had burned her, whipping around to see Toni, grimacing slightly as she propped herself up on her elbows, but awake and alive. “Toni!” the relieved exclamation escaped Cheryl’s lips just in time as she swooped down to kiss the pink haired Serpent. 

Their lips collided with a bruising force, Cheryl moving her mouth against Toni’s as the Serpent wrapped an arm around her neck to try and pull herself up, deepening the kiss. Toni sucked hard on Cheryl’s bottom lip, biting it lightly, drawing a soft groan from the redhead as she leaned back slightly. This proved to be a rather dangerous move. The backward motion had pulled Toni, whose arm was still wrapped around Cheryl’s neck, off the couch. Having very little strength due to her numerous injuries, Toni was unable to prevent herself from falling, causing the pair to topple down, landing on the floor with Toni lying on top of Cheryl. She laughed lightly and leaned down the kiss Cheryl softly before lifting her head up again, smiling down at the girl beneath her. “Toldja I’d come back to you.”

Cheryl laughed lightly and pulled herself into a sitting position, Toni winced slightly as she readjusted, perching herself in Cheryl’s lap. “You did. God, TT I was so worried, you’ve been out for almost two days.” Tears were still dripping slowly down Cheryl’s face.

“I’m fine, or I’ll be fine.” Toni leaned in, gently kissing the tears from the redhead’s cheeks. “It’s going to be alright. Stop crying, Cher.” Cheryl chuckled and leaned in to press her forehead to Toni’s.

“Ugh, what did I wake up to?” Sweet Pea’s exhausted groan grabbed both of their attention. Blinking several times to clear the sleep from his vision, he suddenly took in the scene in front of him. “HOLY SHIT! Tiny!” Forgetting about his injuries, Sweet Pea moved as if to jump off the couch towards the girls. His body however, had not forgotten about his current state, and therefore did not move as expected, causing him to fall with a loud thud to the floor.

He cried out in pain and shifted into a sitting position, holding his knee and stomach which got hit in his ungraceful landing. All of the noise had apparently drifted outside, because Fangs ran in looking alarmed, knife in hand. “What’s happening? Is everyone okay? I heard something fall.”

“Yeah.” Sweet Pea grunted. “That was me. I just got excited cuz Tiny’s awake. Although she seems preoccupied with Red at the moment.”

Toni blushed and quickly stood up, using the coffee table to help support her weight. Fangs whipped around to stare at Toni, clearly not having registered the significance of her presence before. “Tiny? What? You’re awake!” He wrapped his arms around the smaller girl lifting her slightly off the ground. Sweet Pea smiled up at them from his position on the ground. 

“Ouch, Fangs, don’t squeeze so much, that hurts.” Toni mumbled. Fangs immediately set her down, looking concerned. She eased herself back onto the couch. “I’m starving! Is there any food in this house?”

“Absolutely,” Cheryl sprang to her feet, her face still a bit red, and hurried into the kitchen.

Toni turned back to Fangs. “So, where are we? This is way too big and fancy to be anywhere on the Southside.”

“It’s Cheryl’s place. Thistlehouse.” Fangs sat down on the other couch, facing Toni. He furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head in confusion. “But haven’t you been here before?”

Toni looked away from him uncomfortably for a moment before looking back. “Um, no.”

“Whatever,” Sweet Pea said from the floor. “Your girl’s been amazing Tiny. She’s just been letting us crash here and gave us clothes.” he picked at the hoodie he was wearing. “And she cooks! The muffins this morning were amazing,” he looked down sheepishly, “before I threw them up. But the smoothie was really good too.”

Toni’s mind was reeling. Cheryl had just taken them in? She looked down at the clothes she was wearing that were so clearly not hers. Turning her nose into the shoulder of her hoodie, she confirmed it. It was definitely Cheryl’s. It even smelled like her. She looked back at Sweet Pea. “Did you say smoothie?”

“That would be correct, Cha-Cha.” Cheryl strode into the room and passed a freshly made glass over to Toni, sitting next to her. “We discovered that Pea faced a staggering inability to consume solid food this morning, so we’ll be keeping you on a mostly liquid diet for the next few days.”

“Next few days?” Toni asked, sipping the drink Cheryl had given her.

“Yeah.” said Fangs. “You and Sweets aren’t in any condition to be out and about and we can’t take you back to the Southside yet. The Ghoulies are going to be after you until their guy gets released from the hospital. So Red said we could stay here until then.”

“I–Cheryl–” Toni turned her head to look at Cheryl, shocked. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this. I… I never meant for this to happen.”

Cheryl reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “It’s fine. I really don’t mind. You guys need a safe place. I have too much space alone so…”

“Cheryl’s been amazing.” Fangs smiled warmly at her. “Never thought I’d see the day when a Blossom did so much for some Serpents.”

The door banged open. “Okay I’ve got like a dozen burgers! There’s no way we can stay mad with this much food!” Jughead had returned. “I didn’t know what milkshake to get so I got one of everything, and then there’s a bunch of fries and onion rings, so that should – TONI!” Cheryl had never seen the boy smile so wide. He dropped the giant Pop’s bag on the coffee table and set the box of milkshakes down as well before moving to the couch to hug the pink haired Serpent. “Thank god you’ve woken up! We’ve been so worried!” Jughead looked around at the four teens seated in the living room. “Everyone’s okay! That’s great! Let’s eat!”

Laughing and smiling Fangs, Cheryl, and Toni moved to join Sweet Pea on the floor, all sitting around the coffee table, and helped Jughead unpack all the food. Once all of the food was unpacked and set out it turned into a frenzy of people grabbing burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

“Where’s the ketchup?”

“Hey! I grabbed that first!”

“Could someone pass me some onion rings?”

 

Fangs pulled the box of milkshakes towards him. “Ah man! Someone already took the strawberry!”

Cheryl let out a disappointed sigh at his exclamation before Toni tapped her arm, grinning as she held out the lone strawberry milkshake as she sipped on her chocolate one. “Grabbed this for you, I was pretty sure Fangs would try and beat you to it.”

“Thanks!” Cheryl took the shake gratefully, returning the smile.

The dinner was the happiest moment the Serpents and Cheryl had had for days. Laughter filled the halls of Thistlehouse as they devoured all of the food like locusts. Sweet Pea and Toni went through five milkshakes and three packets of fries, that being all they could really eat. Jughead must have eaten five burgers before he flopped down on the floor, not hungry for the first time Cheryl had known him. Fangs and Cheryl had eaten a more reasonable amount at two burgers and a milkshake apiece though they, like everyone else, had eaten far too many fries and onion rings. The five teens were sprawled around the living room, all grinning inexplicably and basking in the silence and each other’s company. After what seemed like ages, Cheryl finally spoke.

“Since Sweets and Toni have recovered, there’s no reason we should all have to share the living room to sleep in.”

“We don’t mind sleeping on the floor here, you’ve done so much already.”  Fangs said.

“Nonsense.” Cheryl waved away his protests. “There’s the guest room down here, the guest room upstairs, and my mother’s old room that are all empty.”

“That’s perfect!” Jughead sat up. “Some of my stuff is in the room down here already, Sweets and Fangs can take the two rooms upstairs, and Toni can stay with you.”

Cheryl and Toni shot each other alarmed looks. They weren’t really together but Jug didn’t know that. They couldn’t exactly refuse the arrangement Jughead had proposed, it did make the most sense given the pretense they were trying to keep up. She nodded. “Sounds good. Fangs and Sweet Pea will have to divide the rooms themselves.”

Sweet Pea punched the air. “Yes! I get my own room in this nice ass mansion!”

They all headed to bed, Sweet Pea taking Penelope’s old room because it creeped Fangs out too much. Toni trailed behind Cheryl as they made their way upstairs, entering Cheryl’s room. They got ready for bed in silence, Cheryl tossing a pair of silk pyjamas to Toni. Not speaking, they climbed into opposite sides of Cheryl’s king sized bed. Turning to face Toni, Cheryl spoke.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” she blushed just thinking about their kiss. Toni, understanding what she meant just nodded. “I was just really happy that you had woken up finally, it didn’t – it didn’t mean anything. So, um, yeah. I’m sorry.”

Toni gave her a small smile. “It’s fine. I got caught up too. But you’ve done so much for me, for us. It’s way more than you signed up for, honestly I’m so grateful.”

“So we’re good?”

“We’re good.”

Cheryl turned away from Toni, facing the window, and turned off the lights. The two girls were plunged into darkness, facing away from each other on the giant bed. The space between them was felt acutely in the quiet night, and neither girl fell asleep easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the title of this chapter is the book of poems cheryl is reading. its the same one she reads in episode 2x06. maybe i'll give her a new book some other time, we'll see

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic, I hope you guys like it.


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